A principal of the Portland-based CT Pharmaceutical Solutions has surrendered his medical marijuana employee license and has been charged by Portland police after the state Department of Consumer Protection reported an anonymous tip this summer that he was “diverting marijuana” from the facility.
Andrew Bozzuto, 54, of North Branford, was taken into custody on Oct. 2 and charged with possession of a controlled substance and illegal sale of a controlled substance, police records show. Bozzuto surrendered his individual license but the company, which produces marijuana for medical purposes, is still operating. A lawyer for CT Pharmaceutical Solutions said the company is cooperating with police.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Consumer Protection said the agency received an anonymous complaint in July that Bozzuto was diverting some medical marijuana. The spokeswoman, Lora Rae Anderson, did not say if he was selling the product or identify who may have been receiving it.
Members of the department’s Drug Control Division have been working with Portland police on the case, Anderson said. DCP officials said Bozzuto voluntarily surrendered his license within about two weeks of the agency receiving the complaint.
“As soon as the Drug Control Division was made aware of the incident, we were in contact with the licensee. Mr. Bozzuto who voluntarily surrendered his employee license, and is not currently allowed on premesis,” Anderson said. “The Drug Control Division’s case regarding this matter remains open, and we will make more information available when we are able,”
Specifics of the criminal case were not immediately available. Records have been sealed in Superior Court in Middletown. Officials there said they could not comment on the case, and an attorney for Bozzuto declined to comment.
Records in the Secretary of the State’ office list Bozzuto as the principal of CT Pharmaceutical Solutions, a marijuana production facility operating in a small industrial area of Portland, in the shadow of the Arrigoni Bridge.
Anderson said the facility was awarded a license in January 2014, one of four such operations to start up since the medical marijuana program started in Connecticut. The company and its employees have faced no other discipline, and Anderson said no other licenses have been suspended or surrendered.
In a statement, Raymond Hassett, legal counsel for CT Pharmaceutical Solutions said: “[The company] is fully cooperating with the Department of Consumer Protection and law enforcement regarding the investigation into these allegations. The company has stringent and comprehensive policies and procedures assuring compliance with all laws regarding production and delivery of CPS products. We are confident that at the conclusion of the investigation, matters will be resolved favorably. CPS maintains the integrity of its respected product and its commitment to the benefit of medical marijuana patients.”
A company seeking to open a medical marijuana is required to submit information to the state that includes security measures and specifics on potential employees. The buildings used by the companies have camera systems to help prevent marijuana from leaving the building outside legal channels, said Anderson.
Anderson credited the importance of anonymous tips like the one that spurred this investigation as one of the best ways for the Drug Control Division to discover any issues.
credit:courant.com