Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

September 12, 2019

Portland pot grower approved for Rocky Hill expansion

By Joe Cooper

One of Connecticut’s four licensed medical marijuana growers has been greenlit to expand its operation in Rocky Hill.

The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved a special permit application for Portland-based Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions Inc. (CTPharma) to move into a larger, 216,532-square-foot facility vacated last year by pharmaceutical giant McKesson Corp.

CTPharma said the relocation to 280 Dividend Road will provide more space for the company to double its workforce to 70 employees, town records show. It currently occupies about 15,000 square feet in Portland at 47 Lower Main St.

It’s not exactly clear when CTPharma plans to move its headquarters from Portland to Rocky Hill. CTPharma could not be reached for comment regarding its expansion efforts.

The 10-acre site, equipped with about 100 parking space, is still owned by McKesson, which confirmed last week that it also plans to leave its Farmington location next year. McKesson’s Rocky Hill property has a total appraised value of about $8.8 million, according to the town’s assessor’s office.

Rocky Hill is one of many municipalities in Connecticut that has amended zoning regulations in recent years to allow marijuana distribution or production facilities. Vendors, however, are experiencing headaches in their attempts to establish a checking account with banks.

There are currently 37,186 patients registered in Connecticut’s medical-marijuana program, including 8,837 in Hartford County. The state’s medical marijuana program was approved by state lawmakers in 2012.

CTPharma CEO and President Tom Schultz told Rocky Hill’s zoning board this summer that the company has had a good experience in Portland, but wasn’t able to find a large enough facility in town to accommodate its growth.

The company, acquired in Aug. 2018 by a New York investment firm, has said it does not expect to change the exterior of the building. CTPharma will install certain filters at the facility to eliminate odors from leaving the building, Schultz said.

CTPharma will likely enter the recreational marijuana market if approved by Connecticut, he said.

In 2017, former CTPharma principal Andrew Bozzuto was arrested for removing marijuana from bins at the company’s Portland facility. Bozzuto voluntarily surrendered his employee license after being charged with possession of a controlled substance and illegal sale of a controlled substance, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF