The Connecticut State Legislature passed HB 5389 in 2012.

The law made it possible for a qualifying patient to register with the Connecticut Dept of Consumer Protection for permission to use medical marijuana by obtaining a Certificate of Use. Those with such a certificate of palliative use were immune to prosecution for possession and use of marijuana in the state of Connecticut. The law states that all medical marijuana patients have to be Connecticut residents over the age of 18 and must possess a registration ID card. Anyone under the direct supervision of the Connecticut Dept of Corrections is ineligible for an ID card, no matter how serious their medical condition may be.

The fee to register with the Department of Consumer Protection is one-hundred dollars, a one-time payment. Out of state patients may not use their ID cards to obtain medical marijuana in Connecticut.

Patients may possess up to 2.5 ounces per month.

Conditions which qualify for prescription include: cystic fibrosis; cerebral palsy; cancer; glaucoma; spinal cord injury; epilepsy; PTSD; sickle cell anemia; chronic radiculopathy; chronic psoriasis, along with psoriatic arthritis; ALS; ulcerative colitis; intractable seizures; and the end-of-life care of those with a terminal illness.

There were initially only six licensed dispensing pharmacies in the state, but additional facilities are now being considered.