Competition is fierce for cannabis licenses as Connecticut stands up its newest industry

Tiana Hercules faces stiff competition as she seeks to launch a retail cannabis business in Hartford or New London.

The mother of three who is looking to “change the economic trajectory of their future” has submitted one of nearly 3,300 retail applications, as of Thursday, and is seeking a state license to be a cannabis food and beverage manufacturer.

Hercules, a lawyer and Hartford city councilwoman, also is applying for a cultivation license in a disproportionately impacted area, a program established to compensate for treatment of underrepresented communities during the government’s war on drugs.

“It’s a true opportunity to enter on the business side and great potential to the community and how revenue from an industry can be reinvested in the community,” she said of the enterprise she named Lady Jane.

Hercules refers to “conscious cannabis consumption” she says can help users alleviate pain, anxiety, depression, stress and increase sexual satisfaction.

“It’s the reason why people are using cannabis or plants,” she said.

Deadlines are approaching for applications

The outlines of Connecticut’s newest industry are taking shape less than a year after Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation authorizing the sale of recreational marijuana for adults.

Advocates and their allies in the General Assembly struggled for years to legalize marijuana. They stumbled in their first steps when then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed legislation in 2007 that would have allowed medical marijuana. [Read more at Hartford Courant]