(a) A dispensary facility may apply to the department, on a form and in a manner prescribed by the commissioner, to convert its license to a hybrid retailer license on or after September 1, 2021, without applying through the lottery application system. The license conversion application shall require a dispensary facility to submit to, and obtain approval from the department for, a detailed medical preservation plan for how it will prioritize sales and access to medical marijuana products for qualifying patients, including, but not limited to, managing customer traffic flow, preventing supply shortages, providing delivery services and ensuring appropriate staffing levels.

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(b) After October 1, 2021, qualifying patients shall not be required to designate a dispensary facility or hybrid retailer as its exclusive location to purchase cannabis or medical marijuana products, nor shall the department require any future change of designated dispensary facility applications. If all dispensary facilities demonstrate to the department’s satisfaction that they are adhering to the real-time upload requirements set forth in subsection (c) of this section prior to October 1, 2021, the commissioner may eliminate the requirement for designated dispensary facilities prior to said date.

(c) On and after September 1, 2021, dispensary facilities and hybrid retailers shall be required to perform real-time uploads to the prescription drug monitoring program. Any cannabis or medical marijuana products sold to qualifying patients or caregivers shall be dispensed by a licensed pharmacist and shall be recorded into the prescription drug monitoring program, established pursuant to section 21a-254, in real-time or immediately upon completion of the transaction, unless not reasonably feasible for a specific transaction, but in no case longer than one hour after completion of the transaction.

(d) On and after September 1, 2021, a dispensary facility or hybrid retailer may apply to the department, in a form and in a manner prescribed by the commissioner, to provide delivery services through a delivery service or utilizing its own employees, subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of section 21a-420c, to qualifying patients, caregivers, research program subjects, as defined in section 21a-408, and hospice and other inpatient care facilities licensed by the Department of Public Health pursuant to chapter 368v that have a protocol for the handling and distribution of cannabis that has been approved by the Department of Consumer Protection. A dispensary facility or hybrid retailer may deliver cannabis or medical marijuana products only from its own inventory to qualifying patients and caregivers. If such application is approved by the commissioner, the dispensary facility or hybrid retailer may commence delivery services on and after January 1, 2022, provided the commissioner may authorize dispensary facilities or hybrid retailers to commence delivery services prior to January 1, 2022, upon forty-five days advance written notice, published on the department’s Internet web site.

(e) Hybrid retailers may commence delivery of cannabis directly to consumers as of the date the first adult use cannabis sales are permitted by the commissioner as set forth in subsection (f) of this section, through a delivery service, or utilizing their own employees, subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of section 21a-420c.

(f) Dispensary facilities that have been approved by the department and that have converted to hybrid retailers may open their premises to the general public and commence adult use cannabis sales on and after thirty days after the date that cannabis is available for purchase for purposes of adult use sales from producers or cultivators that have at least two hundred fifty thousand square feet of grow space and space used to manufacture cannabis products in the aggregate, which date shall be published on the department’s Internet web site.