What should I expect the first time at a Connecticut cannabis store?
Your first time at a Connecticut cannabis store starts at the counter, where the team checks that you are an adult 21 or older. At our flagship store, hosts carrying iPads help visitors browse the menu and order, and the Bud Bar is a consultation area where you sit down one on one with a budtender.
Myth: you need a medical card or Connecticut address
You do not. The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) says the adult-use market serves all adults 21 years of age or older and that registration is not required to buy, so a first visit needs no medical card and no sign-up beforehand.
Living in another state does not change that. DCP's guidance for shoppers who live out of state says any adult 21 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID may buy from licensed adult-use retailers regardless of state of residence. The same page says there is no residency requirement for adult-use purchases, so the state you live in does not change who may buy.
Your ID information: 24 hours unless you consent in writing, from October 1, 2026
State law limits how long a store can hold that information. Chapter 420h of the Connecticut General Statutes lets a person 21 or older use a motor vehicle operator's license or an identity card with a full-face photograph as legal proof of age, and each licensee may accept it. Effective October 1, 2026, no retailer shall retain personal data obtained from a consumer for age verification for longer than 24 hours without the consumer's express written consent.
Myth: the Bud Bar needs an appointment
You can walk up without one. The Bud Bar sits toward the back of our Derby showroom. It is a dedicated consultation area where you sit down one on one with a budtender, and you can view and smell cannabis strains before purchasing.
The Hartford Business Journal reported on March 27, 2025 that our Derby store opened the state's first bud bar where customers can examine and smell products, and that the products stay in plastic containers locked in secure storage each night. NBC Connecticut reported on April 2, 2025 that it was the first in the state with a bud bar using U-shaped display cases.
At the Bud Bar you can ask a budtender how flower, concentrates, edibles and drinks differ as formats before you choose one.
Myth: you can leave with as much as you like
Connecticut sets two separate limits: what a store may sell you, and what you may carry.
State law says a retailer or hybrid retailer shall not knowingly sell a consumer more than one ounce of cannabis or the equivalent in products per day.
Splitting a purchase into two orders does not change the daily sales cap. DCP says a consumer may not buy more than one ounce per day per customer regardless of the number of transactions.
On the carrying side, a person 21 or older may possess one and one-half ounces of cannabis plant material on their person, and DCP says the same 1.5 oz possession limit applies to out-of-state residents as to Connecticut residents. A person 21 or older may also keep five ounces of cannabis plant material in a locked container at their residence or in a locked glove box or trunk of their motor vehicle. Both possession rules come from chapter 420b of the General Statutes.
What changes by consumption method
For adults 21 and older, the format you choose changes how a purchase counts toward the possession limit, how much THC a package may hold, and where you may use it.
- Flower. Flower is the plant material both limits above are written in. Browse what each store carries in our flower aisle.
- Concentrates. For possession limits, one ounce of cannabis plant material equals five grams of concentrate, so concentrates reach the limit at far less weight.
- Edibles. For possession limits, other cannabis products with up to five hundred milligrams of THC count the same as one ounce of plant material. On the package side, DCP says a multiple-serving edible package can hold no more than 100 milligrams of THC total. Our edibles aisle shows live items from the menu of the store you have selected, with a switch to the other store.
- Drinks. Effective October 1, 2026, retailer infused beverages may contain up to ten milligrams of THC per container. You can see what each store carries in our drinks aisle.
Format also decides where you can use it. For renters, DCP says a landlord may prohibit smoking and vaping at home, but generally may not prohibit possession or consumption of other forms of cannabis. Hotels and motels must prohibit smoking and vaping cannabis in any location but may not prohibit legal possession or consumption in nonpublic areas. If you rent, check your lease for a smoking and vaping rule before you settle on a format.
Ordering ahead, then picking up
Our online ordering takes orders at any hour, so you can build your order the night before and come in to pick it up. Start on our live menu and follow checkout.
On November 11, 2026, the Derby live menu took scheduled delivery orders and pickup orders, and the Hartford live menu took pickup orders only. For delivery, checkout asks for a delivery address. The town list is on our delivery page. Connecticut law defines a consumer as an individual who is twenty-one years of age or older. On delivery, the individual who placed the order must be the one who accepts it, and the delivery service must verify the identity of the person and the age of the consumer, so keep your ID handy.
Current promotions are listed on our deals page rather than in this guide. Each store has its own page, our Derby store page and our Hartford store page, and our locations page lists both. Before you come in, our FAQ page covers more store questions, and the Hi! People blog has our other shopping guides.
Getting to our flagship store
Our Derby flagship is about two minutes from Route 8, at 90 Pershing Drive. Parking on site is free, and there is an ATM in the store if you arrive without cash.
Hartford, our second store, takes the same cash and debit payment, and the ID rules above apply at either counter. Credit cards cannot be used.
Questions shoppers ask about a first visit
Do I need a medical card for my first visit?
No, a medical card is not needed. DCP says the adult-use market serves all adults 21 years of age or older and that registration is not required to buy. Any adult 21 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID may buy from licensed adult-use retailers regardless of state of residence.
Do out-of-state shoppers pay a different tax?
No. DCP says non-residents are charged the same state and local taxes as Connecticut residents for adult-use cannabis. Any adult 21 or older with a valid government-issued photo ID may buy from licensed adult-use retailers regardless of state of residence, so a visitor and a Connecticut resident meet the same tax lines at the counter.
Can I call before my first visit?
Yes, call us at 860-420-BUDS (2837). The same number reaches both stores. Our online ordering takes orders at any hour if you would rather build your order first, and an adult 21 or older shows a valid government-issued photo ID at the counter when picking the order up.
When should I plan my first visit?
Opening times are on the store page for the location you plan to visit. Our online ordering takes orders at any hour, so you can build your order first, and parking at our Derby flagship is free on site. Call us at 860-420-BUDS (2837) with any question, because the same number reaches both stores.
What payment can I use at the counter?
Use cash or a debit card. We take cash and debit at both stores, and credit cards cannot be used. The Derby store has an ATM on site if you arrive without cash, and the ID rules apply at either counter, so bring a valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.
Do I need an appointment for the Bud Bar?
No. The Bud Bar is toward the back of the Derby showroom and needs no appointment. A customer there sits down one on one with a budtender in a dedicated consultation area, and can view and smell cannabis strains before purchasing. At the Derby flagship, hosts carrying iPads help visitors browse the menu and order.
