Lasa Extract LLC has proposed an amendment to the town’s zoning regulations that would allow it to open a retail cannabis dispensary and micro-cultivation facility at its existing CBD-extraction business at 426 South Grand St. in Suffield.
Currently, Lasa Extract operates a CDB extraction facility at the location, which is in a residential zone in a building that was originally built for tobacco processing.
The business is owned by Rick Sotil, former jai alai player, arborist and woodworker. His state-of-the-art extraction process, which relies on carbon dioxide rather than the more commonly used ethanol, results in a high-quality and cleaner product, he told the Hartford Business Journal in November 2020.
Lasa Extract is one of the few hemp oil manufacturers in Connecticut.
The proposed zoning text change would give existing cannabis-processing plants in Suffield the ability to apply for a special permit for cannabis retail and micro-cultivation.
The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently adopted limits in retail and micro-cultivation to industrial zones.
The commission opened a hearing on the change at its meeting on May 16. The hearing was continued to its June meeting, to give the commission time to consult with its attorneys.
Several residents said they supported the proposal because it’s “a good opportunity for farmers” and would produce tax revenue. Concerns about odor control were raised.
Connecticut legalized the sale of hemp products in May 2019.
Hemp is cannabis that contains 0.3% or less THC, the psychoactive compound in the plant; marijuana is cannabis that contains more than 0.3 percent THC. CDB, another active ingredient of cannabis, is derived directly from the hemp plant and doesn’t cause a “high,”, but has been found to provide benefits to some users.
Lasa is represented by attorney Daniel Finnegan of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield, Mass.
