Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has signed legislation expanding the state’s medical cannabis program, adding three qualifying conditions, one dispensary license, and allowing dispensaries to have two locations, according to a Vermont Diggerreport. The expansion comes less than a month after the Republican governor vetoed a bill that would have legalized adult cannabis use and possession in Vermont, but did not create an industry.
The measure adds post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and Crohn’s disease, as of July 1. PTSD patients are also required to receive regular psychiatric and therapeutic care to qualify for medical cannabis.
The new law, adding one dispensary license, brings the total permitted to operate in the state to five, each now allowed two locations. Another license will be created when the number of registered patients reaches 7,000. Right now there are about 4,000 people enrolled in the state program.
Sen. Dick Sears, who voted in favor of the expansion package, said the measure will “help an awful lot of people to relieve symptoms of various ailments” and adding dispensaries will improve access for patients.
Sears also indicated that lawmakers have drafted a new legalization bill, which was sent to the governor’s office last week for his opinion. The legislature could take up that bill during a veto session which is set to begin June 21.
Vermont’s Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, vetoed the first cannabis legalization bill ever to be passed by a state Congress on Wednesday, according to an NPR report.
Scott chose to veto the bill over his other two options — either sign the bill or take no action and passively allow it to become law — and he has sent the bill back to legislators to make adjustments.
“We must get this right,” Scott said of his decision to veto while at a press conference. “I think we need to move a little bit slower.”
The governor’s concerns with the bill were detecting and penalizing people who drive under the influence of cannabis, keeping children from accessing the plant, and the lack of a clear vision for the state’s Marijuana Regulatory Commission. He plans to send recommendations to lawmakers for changing their proposal, saying that — if they address his concerns —”there is a path forward on this.”
The governor has previously claimed he is “not philosophically opposed” to cannabis legalization.
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman offered criticism of the governor’s veto: “Prohibition has failed and causes approximately 100,000 Vermonters to be labeled lawbreakers,” Zuckerman said. “Vermont is now lagging behind other states in the region and is missing opportunities to capture revenue from an underground market that would allow us to address highway safety, drug education and treatment, and other needed state investments to reduce the temptation of drug use.”
If Gov. Scott had signed the bill, Vermont would have become the first state to legalize adult use cannabis without using a voter referendum.
The majority of voters in Vermont approve of legalizing cannabis.
Vermont lawmakers made history last week as the first state legislature to approve ending the prohibition of cannabis. Now, the bill to legalize adult-use cannabis is sitting on Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s desk — and he has until next Wednesday to decide what to do about it.
According to a Vermont Public Radio report, the governor is still undecided how to proceed. His three options are to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to passively become law without his signature after five days of inaction. According to the report, this could be the most-watched decision of Scott’s tenure as governor.
Gov. Scott has heard arguments from top health and law enforcement officials that he should veto the bill, though public opinion in Vermont is strongly in favor of legalization.
“I say veto this bill, stay strong with health and safety,” alcohol and drug counselor Margo Austin said.
“We are hopeful that the governor will … veto legislation like this that lacks important considerations of public safety and education,” said child psychiatrist Dr. David Rettew.
Support for the legalization bill has also been expressed, however, and not only from cannabis consumers and/or enthusiasts.
“In my view, those who oppose expansion of civil liberties consistently find themselves on the wrong side of history,” said David Cahill, State Attorney for Windsor County.
At a press conference on Thursday, the day the bill officially reached his desk, the governor offered mixed opinions about legalization. “I’ve said it along the campaign trail — I’m not philosophically opposed to it,” said Gov. Scott, but — “I’m not sure that the time is right now.”
Vermont’s legislature has approved a bill that, if signed by Republican Gov. Phil Scott, would legalize cannabis possession and small grows for adults while creating a Marijuana Regulation Commission that will draft legislation for a tax-and-regulate system.
The passage marks the first time a state legislature has approved ending cannabis prohibition.
Under the law, adults 21-and-older can possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis and grow up to two mature and four immature plants beginning on July 1, 2018. The Marijuana Regulation Commission is directed to draft legislation for a comprehensive market by Nov. 1, with the bill ready for a vote by Jan. 2018.
“Vermont lawmakers made history today,” Matt Simon, the New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a report from The Hill. “The legislature has taken a crucial step toward ending the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.”
The measure, tacked on to an unrelated bill, was a compromise between the Senate – who passed a tax-and-regulate measure last week – and the House, who passed their own bill last week to legalize possession and small grows. The legislature was set to adjourn on Saturday but reconvened in order to tie up loose legislative ends, including the cannabis compromise.
According to the Hill report, the governor has not indicated whether he will sign the measure and has previously said cannabis legalization was not “a priority.”
Vermont’s legislature could take up cannabis legalization before this session ends after all, as the Senate passed a compromise bill on Friday which could be taken up by the House on Wednesday, the Associated Pressreports. Last week, the chambers passed separate measures that were too far apart – the House version would allow adult possession and cultivation, while the Senate version would implement a taxed and regulated regime.
The legislature was set to adjourn on Saturday, leaving both bills in limbo, however Democratic House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said the chamber would reconvene on Wednesday. It’s not clear whether the House will take up the compromise legislation; which would legalize possession of small amounts and limited home grows by adults beginning in July 2018. In the meantime, a commission would develop a tax-and-regulate scheme and present it to the legislature next year.
Sen. Dick Sears, a pro-legalization Democrat, called the compromise “a way for Vermont to join two other New England states (Massachusetts and Maine) to have a legalized, regulated seed-to-sale system at some point in the hopefully near future.”
The measure passed the chamber 20-9. However, Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has not supported any plan legalizing cannabis and there is no guarantee he will sign the measure if it makes it to his desk.
Vermont’s House has passed a measure that doubles the number of medical cannabis dispensaries allowed in the state and expands the qualifying condition list. The measure passed the Senate in February and will next move to the desk of Republican Gov. Phil Scott.
The bill (SB.16) adds post-traumatic stress disorder, Chron’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease to the list of conditions approved for medical cannabis therapies, and increases the number of dispensaries allowed to operate in the state t to eight. The measure also increases the amount of cannabis allowed to be possessed by a registered patient from two to three.
The legislation also eliminates some of the red tape that might prevent some patients from accessing the program. It removes language that requires a patient’s initial application be notarized and requirements that a physician provide a statement that other medical efforts had been made “over a reasonable amount of time without success to relieve symptoms.” Additionally, the bill adds language to protect recommending physicians, requiring their recommendation to include a statement that they are not prescribing cannabis, but rather confirming that the patient has the qualifying, debilitating, condition.
If the bill is signed by the governor, the Department of Public Safety will begin accepting applications for the additional four dispensaries on July, 1.
Both houses of Vermont’s legislature have passed competing cannabis legalization bills but no further advances are expected as the measures are too far apart and the state’s session ends on Saturday, according to a Vermont Press Bureaureport.
The House measure, which reportedly passed 74-68 at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, would allow adults 21-and-older to possess up to 1 ounce of flower and cultivate two mature and four immature cannabis plants. The Senate proposal, which passed the body April 20, is a tax-and-regulate scheme that would create a contemporary cannabis industry in the Green Mountain State.
An amendment to the House bill by Democratic Rep. Jean O’Sullivan would have put the measure more in line with the Senate bill; that amendment, however, was rejected 42-99. Other amendments to the House measure were also rejected, including a provision to retain civil penalties for possession but removing criminal penalties for possessing cannabis plants; one that would delay implementation of the law until law enforcement has a test to check for cannabis impairment; and another that would have created cannabis education programs in schools.
House lawmakers did approve an amendment that would add cannabis to the law prohibiting open alcohol containers in vehicles.
It’s likely that the proposals will be taken up again by the legislature during the second half of the legislative biennium but it’s unclear whether Republican Gov. Phil Scott would sign any bill legalizing cannabis use.
For the second year in a row, Vermont State Senators have voted in favor of a bill that would legalize the possession, use, and distribution of cannabis for adults 21 and over, MyNBC5 reports.
Vermont Senators passed the bill despite a different legalization plan being circulated in the House, which many senators oppose for not establishing a regulatory structure to commercialize the cannabis industry.
The bill is an amended version of the legalization measure that Vermont Senators approved last year, which died in the House.
“We know that prohibition has not worked,” said Sen. Jeanette White, a Democrat from Windham. “Let’s make it safer, less accessible to kids.”
The proposal would eliminate criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, legalize the home cultivation of the plant, and would establish a regulatory licensing system similar to legalization infrastructure employed in other legalized states. The bill would also allow unlimited small-scale grow licenses for commercial grows of up to 500 square feet but does not include language allowing cannabis-infused edibles. Under the proposal, taxes from cannabis growers and retailers would be used to fund youth prevention and education programs.
Senators who oppose the bill have argued that adult-use legalization would be a hasty move while there is not a reliable method of checking drivers for cannabis intoxication; Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has also voiced concerns about intoxicated drivers, though it’s unclear if he would veto a legalization bill if it came across his desk.
The bill moves next to the Vermont House, who turned down a similar proposal last year. With just two weeks left in the legislative session, however, it is possible that this move was made in preparation for the 2018 legislative session.
Key lawmakers in Vermont’s Senate have indicated that they will not support a legalization plan being circulated in the House because it “reinforces a black market approach rather than… [a] more streamlined, regulated system,” Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe said in a Vermont Public Radioreport.
The House plan, which was approved by the chamber’s Judiciary Committee but pulled by House leadership after it was clear it would not pass, would have legalized possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis by adults 21-and-older, and allowed them to grow up to two mature and seven immature plants.
Democratic state Sen. Jeannette White, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations and supporter of legalization, said she “can’t imagine” a scenario in which the Senate would pass the House proposal, adding that the measure “does nothing to decrease the black market.”
“It in fact encourages it, because now you’re going to be able to have a certain amount, or an increased amount, and it will be completely legal,” White said in the report. “There’s no place for you to get it, so it’s going to increase the underground market.”
According to the report, last year the Senate passed a measure that would have legalized a taxed and regulated recreational cannabis system in the state; however that bill failed in the House.
Ashe indicated that the Senate could choose to pass a similar tax-and-regulate bill before this session ends, which could become a priority when lawmakers return for the second half of the biennium in 2018.
“To be honest, I think people are tired of this conversation going on and on and on. And it’s something that we just need to do,” White said. “We’ve been talking about this forever and people out there are tired of us dragging out feet and not getting anything done.”
A hemp cultivation permit is easy to come by in Vermont – for an annual fee of $25, anybody can register with the state to grow the crop so long as they verify that the plants fall below the 0.3 percent THC federal government threshold defining the plant as “hemp.”
These loose restrictions, codified in 2013, have led to a cottage hemp industry in the Green Mountain State – one that advocates say lays the groundwork for a more robust industry while allowing smaller operators to stake their claim in a still nascent market.
Concerned over potential federal interference in the 2018 farm bill which will either “blow [the hemp industry] wide open…or completely destroy it,” Joel Bedard, CEO and Founder of The VT Hemp Co., thinks this year’s grow is integral to the success of hemp cultivators in the state. The VT Hemp Company, which holds a hemp research permit from the DEA, works to link cultivators with processors, and ultimately get hemp-derived products to consumers.
“I recognize that [the hemp industry] is entirely white space – complete rebuild of an economic opportunity – but I also recognize that hemp is an international commodity crop,” Bedard said in a phone interview. “So it’s not like we can just make up new rules – it’s more like we have to take existing rules and translate them into a contemporary opportunity.”
Bedard and his team are hoping their partnerships solve two key issues for would-be hemp farmers: securing both seed and processing equipment. Vermont, Bedard explains, is not compliant under Section 7606 of the 2014 Federal Farm Bill. “That is to say that the state didn’t take on the role of vetting individual applicants and the state is not dealing with the DEA,” he said, adding that most people growing hemp in the state are in violation of federal, but not state, laws.
This violation makes it impossible to export hemp crops (legally) over state lines and makes even in-state sales risky, which has forced some permit-holders to cultivate primarily for research; albeit there are operators in the state hoping to cash in on the “gold rush” that is hemp-derived CBD, Bedard said.
Bedard’s permit from the DEA is as such that he can extend his license to others, putting them in compliance with federal rules and 12 farmers – in Vermont, New York, and Colorado – used that option last year, working with Bedard to produce textiles, hemp seed, and “any cannabinoids that we extract.”
Rye Matthews, 26, an ecological designer, partnered with Bedard to grow a half-acre test plot last summer which yielded about 300 pounds of seed but, lacking the necessary equipment, he didn’t process the straw. Matthews has since purchased 15 acres of land outside of Burlington and plans to use the seed derived from the test grow for a larger plot this summer rather than sell it off or process it for food or oil.
“We could have done a number of things, but it’s more important to build up our seed supply for the next year,” he said. “We haven’t made any money off of this but the couple years that we’ve been working at this we’re finally at a point where we can make this a real business.”
Matthews, who majored in environmental science at the University of Vermont and currently works in the sustainable building materials sector, indicated that he eventually hopes to help popularize hempcrete in the state but right now the cost to import the hemp is “prohibitive.”
Monica Donovan, publisher of Heady Vermont who grew her own research plot for CBD extraction last summer, said she has seen a “rapid growth of the CBD and hemp industry” in the state in the absence of either “a great medical system” or adult-use legalization. She said the number of CBD products available for sale in the state has “exploded” over the last year due, in part, to the proliferation of small hemp farms no larger than 10 acres.
“I think you’ll see that [CBD] is what most people are getting really into,” she said. “There’s definitely some fiber hemp going on – some oil seed – but I think the area of rapid growing interest is definitely CBD.”
Another factor Vermont cultivators need to consider is the sheer amount of space one would need to grow a viable, lucrative, fiber hemp crop. “You’d need hundreds of acres to even begin to compete with Kentucky,” Donovan said.
Heather Darby, professor of agronomy at UVM, said she “had to fight” to launch an industrial hemp research program at the university due to concerns that the school would lose its federal funding. The year-old research project, for which the university holds a DEA license that allows them to import seed, aims to evaluate the end-uses, planting and maturity dates, and cultivation methods of different hemp varieties grown worldwide. This year the research program’s scope will be expanded to include organic fertility management for hemp crops, she said, hopeful that ultimately they would discover the best variety for the state, already armed with information on controlling pests, mold, and yields. “I want agriculture to thrive in Vermont and I saw this as an opportunity for some farmers to be able to produce a value-added crop,” she said.
Darby explained that the UVM program has partnered with hemp seed companies in an effort to set up a certification program to help make more seed available to farmers and ensure they are planting federally legal crops. She said that there are “a few farmers” in the state growing between 10 and 30 acres of hemp for seed and grain; and, while many more “seem interested,” the “seed barrier is keeping the industry from expanding.”
“If we can do this [certification program] in Vermont they would have access to seed,” Darby explained. “Then you are able to start an industry…Some of the people are buying seed from God-knows-where doesn’t even fit into our growing climate and they’re paying a lot of money – and it’s dangerous – you don’t know if it’s federally legal.”
Much like the rest of the nation, the success, or failure, of Vermont’s hemp industry is dependent on action – or inaction – by the federal government. However, researchers and entrepreneurs are hopeful that this is just the beginning of a cooperative industry that will ultimately benefit the state’s farmers.
“Everything I can grow right now has already been sold,” Bedard said.
Vermont’s legislature is considering a bill that would legalize cannabis possession by adults and allow for home grows, the Associated Pressreports. The measure, H.170, is sponsored by Democrat state Representatives Maxine Grad and Charles Conquest, and Republican state Rep. Tom Burditt.
According to the bill text, all criminal and civil penalties for possession up to 1 ounce by adults 21 and older would be removed, and those 21 and older would be allowed to grow up to two mature, and seven immature, cannabis plants in their homes. The number of plants allowable under the scheme is not dependent on the number of adults living in a residence; however the 1 ounce limit would not include cannabis harvested from the plants so long as it remains on the premises where it is cultivated.
Additionally, the measure would outlaw cannabis extraction using butane or hexane by individuals, but allows medical cannabis dispensaries to continue using those gasses for extraction purposes. The bill provides penalties of two years imprisonment and fines up to $2,000 for violating the extraction order, and five years imprisonment with up to $5,000 fines if someone is injured as the result of an extraction accident.
The bill has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin will consider pardoning Vermont convictions of cannabis possession up to one ounce, which has been decriminalized in the state since 2013, according to an announcement on the governor’s office website.
Shumlin indicated the plan helps him “lead a more sane drug policy,” and his office indicates 10,000 to 17,000 Vermonters may be eligible for relief.
Pardon considerations will be made for low-level possession charges so long as the applicant does not have any felony or violent criminal convictions.
“A governor’s pardon is an extraordinary act. Applying for a pardon does not guarantee a pardon will be granted,” the post says. “All applications will be considered by the Governor and either granted or denied at his discretion.”
According to the post, a pardon does not necessarily erase a record of conviction or the conviction itself and might not change the consequences of such a conviction.
“It could have happened in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s. There are thousands of them,” Shumlin said in a WCAXreport. “We’ve got folks who got charged for an ounce or less of marijuana in a different era when we were running a failed war on drugs. Let’s give those folks the opportunity to have a clean record.”
Individuals have until Christmas to apply for a pardon under the program.
Vermont’s Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee is holding extra meetings this year to discuss issues related to cannabis, according to a Bennington Bannerreport. Medical marijuana access and screening for DUI are among the topics that will be discussed by the 10-member committee.
The conferences come after state lawmakers declined to pass a recreational use bill last session. That bill passed the Senate, but was defeated in the House.
Democratic Sen. Dick Sears said there was a lot of miscommunication in the legislature regarding the legalization bill, suggesting that the House could come up with their own legalization plan this session. He said the lack of support last year was due to the cultivation and sale measures allowed by the proposal, and that those provisions allowed prohibitionists to find allies in the pro-legalization camp which ultimately led to the bill’s defeat.
“They wanted to be able to grow marijuana and sell it at the local farm stand like you would tomatoes,” Sears said in the report.
The first of the six sessions will take place on Sept. 12, focusing on the history of cannabis and its current legal status. Sears was unsure if the House would take up a legalization bill this term.
Vermont medical marijuana dispensaries are preparing for a dramatic rise in customers after recent additions to the state’s list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis, Marijuana Business Daily reports.
Under a law signed by Gov. Peter Shumlin on June 6, glaucoma and chronic pain patients can now qualify for the state’s MMJ program, as well as hospice care patients.
Dispensaries are expecting their patient numbers to spike, but it remains unclear how dramatic of a change this will be. In other states where chronic pain is a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, medical marijuana programs can eventually grow to serve 1.5%-2% of the state’s population. For the Vermont system — where there are currently just over 2,700 patients registered — that could triple or even quadruple the current size of the market.
However, according to Jeffrey Wallin, director of the Vermont Crime Information Center, it’s impossible to predict precisely the increase in patient numbers. “It’s ultimately up to the doctors, because they’re the ones registering patients,” he said.
The new law also makes changes to other aspects of the program, such as lowering the required length of a doctor-patient relationship before medical marijuana can be recommended from six months to three. For hospice care patients, however, there is no length of time required for a doctor’s recommendation.
Furthermore, the changes include new rules for the detailed labeling of cannabis products, requires child-safe packaging, and allows the legal transfer of marijuana products to research labs.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed a law expanding the state’s medical marijuana system, a press release issued Monday reports.
The new law expands the list of qualifying conditions for cannabis treatment to include patients with glaucoma, chronic pain, and patients under hospice care. Previously, Vermont‘s medical marijuana program serviced only patients with cachexia or wasting syndrome, cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, seizures, severe pain and severe nausea. The new qualifying conditions take effect immediately.
The new law also mandates the childproof packaging of medical marijuana products and adds labeling requirements for infused edible products.
“At a time when opiate addiction is ravaging our state and drug companies continue to urge our doctors to pass out painkillers like candy, we need to find a more practical solution to pain management,” said Gov. Shumlin. “This bill ensures that Vermonters who are suffering will have access to medicine that is high quality, laboratory tested, and most importantly non-addictive.”
Earlier this year, the Vermont House killed a Senate-approved legalization bill, which would have made Vermont the first eastern U.S. state to legalize recreational cannabis, and the first state to do so via the legislature.
The Vermont legislature legalized medical marijuana in 2003.
Vermont lawmakers struck down several proposals aimed at reforming marijuana laws in the state, according to a Marijuana.comreport.
The House of Representatives voted 121-28 against legalizing recreational cannabis use, despite both Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) and Attorney General William Sorrell supporting the measure. The proposal was passed by the Senate in a 16-13 preliminary vote last February. The law would have taxed and regulated marijuana sales for adults aged 21 and older.
A separate proposal that would have decriminalized cultivation of up to two cannabis plants was also defeated in the House, 70-77. The measure would have expanded the state’s standing decriminalization laws, under which adult possession of up to one ounce is a civil violation and carries a fine up to $500.
“The War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition has failed. I want to thank those House members who recognize that and worked to move this issue forward,” Shumlin said in a statement following the vote. “It is incredibly disappointing, however, that a majority of the House has shown a remarkable disregard for the sentiment of most Vermonters who understand that we must pursue a smarter policy when it comes to marijuana in this state.”
In another close vote – 77-68 – the House passed provisions forming a Marijuana Advisory Commission which will make recommendations to the legislature regarding marijuana legalization. The Commission will “provide guidance…on issues relating to the national trend toward reclassifying marijuana at the state level, and the emergence of a regulated adult-use commercial market for marijuana within Vermont,” according to the bill text. The first meeting of the Commission will occur on or before July 1 with a final report due Dec. 15.
The Vermont House has scrapped a cannabis legalization proposal passed by the Senate in February, deciding instead to write a new bill that would decriminalize the possession of up to two marijuana plants and establish a committee to study and make recommendations about issues related to legalization.
Rep. Maxine Grad (D-Moretown) drafted the new proposal and presented it on Wednesday.
The Senate bill, which passed with a 17 – 12 vote, would have legalized the commercial production, distribution, and consumption of cannabis for adults 21 and older. Though the move has been publicly supported by Gov. Peter Shumlin, the House decided it was too early to bring an abrupt end to cannabis prohibition and that more consideration was necessary.
The new House proposal also attempts to address the issue of drugged driving by creating a penalty for drivers with a 0.05 percent blood alcohol level and any trace of the psychoactive chemicals in cannabis.
The Vermont Senate has given final approval to S. 241, a bill that would legalize cannabis in the state and regulate its possession, distribution, and cultivation by adults who are 21 or older. The law now moves to the House of Representatives.
S. 241 would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. It would also establish a regulatory system that would include licensed cultivation sites, testing laboratories, and retail storefronts. The law does not currently allow commercial edibles production or include the home cultivation of cannabis, though a specialized commission would further investigate both of these issues if the bill becomes law.
“We applaud the Senate for advancing this important legislation,” said Matt Simon, the Marijuana Policy Project’s New England political director. “Like most Vermonters, most members of the Senate recognize that prohibition is a failed policy. They voted to regulate marijuana because it will make our communities safer.”
“We are confident that House members who take an objective look at the evidence will arrive at the same conclusion as their colleagues in the Senate,” he said.
Poll results were released on Monday by Vermont Public Radio that indicate 55% of Vermonters approve of a law to end cannabis prohibition — only 32% said they opposed such a move.
The full Vermont Senate is expected to vote this Wednesday on a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis statewide, Vermont Business Magazinereports.
The bill advanced on Monday through the Senate Committee on Appropriations with a 4-3 vote. The Senate is expected to pass the bill, and then itwill then move to the House for a vote, where it’s future is more uncertain.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin openly supports the legalization proposal, and issued the following statement after Monday’s vote:
“This bill will allow Vermont to undercut the black market and get rid of illegal drug dealers, focus on prevention and treatment, and do a better job than we do currently of keeping marijuana out of the hands of children and addressing drugged drivers who are already on Vermont’s roads.
“The War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition has failed. We can and should take a smarter approach. I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature as this bill moves forward.”
Meanwhile, Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell and two former attorneys general — Jerome Diamond and Kimberly Cheney — issued a letter last week publicly endorsing the Senate’s plan to end cannabis prohibition.
“The Senate has worked diligently and deliberately on this legislation,” said Matt Simon, the Marijuana Policy Project’s political director for New England. “Most Vermonters believe it’s time to end prohibition and regulate marijuana, and it appears most of their state senators agree. We are hopeful that the Senate will approve this commonsense legislation and send it over to the House for its consideration.”
Vermont’s Senate Finance Committee approved the details of a recreational cannabis legalization bill last Friday. The committee settled on a 25% sales tax and a half-ounce limit on possession.
Sen. Tim Ashe (D-Chittenden) had stated previously that the committee wanted to set taxes at a rate that would allow the legal market to compete effectively with existing black markets.
The committee approved the bill by a 6-1 vote, putting it on its way to a floor vote.
Gov. Peter Shumlin tweeted his support for the bill last Friday:
Thx to Senate Finance for strong vote. I’m encouraged by the Senate’s approach to ending the failed policy of marijuana prohibition in #vt
“I want to thank the Senate Finance Committee for (its) work and Sen. Tim Ashe for his leadership. Today’s vote builds upon the good work started by Senator Sears and the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am encouraged by the deliberate approach the Senate is taking on this issue, using the lessons learned from other states to craft a bill that is well thought out. We can take a smarter approach and I look forward to continuing to work to get a bill that ends the failed era of marijuana prohibition in Vermont.”
The Senate Judiciary version of the bill had come under fire when senators removed a part of the bill that would have allowed citizens to grow cannabis at home. Judiciary chairman Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) said the issue of homegrown cannabis was a “line in the sand.”
In a move that showcases the national spread of cannabis normalization, police dogs in Vermont — in anticipation of the state’s likely legalization of marijuana — are no longer being trained to recognize the plant’s smell.
Robert Ryan, head K-9 training coordinator for Vermont, told The Times Argus that the change was actually first proposed last year, though not put into effect until this year’s course.
Currently, Vermont is poised to become one of the first states in the nation to legalize cannabis through legislative action, not a voter initiative. Legislation to such an end is expected to soon appear in the state Senate for discussion.
Cannabis, because of its potent odor, is easier than most other substances for dogs to learn to detect, Ryan explained. “If for some reason it doesn’t become legalized, it’s an odor that [dogs] can be trained to alert on later,” he said.
“The dogs that are already trained to smell marijuana are still going to be used,” Ryan said, though they would be reserved only for situations where cannabis would still be worth detecting — like prisons and public schools, for example.
The Judiciary Committee of the Vermont Senate voted 4-1 in favor of a bill last Friday that would allow the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, bringing Vermont one step closer to becoming the first state to legalize marijuana via the legislature.
The bill now moves to the full Senate and, if passed, will continue onto the House and eventually to Gov. Peter Shumlin — who has said that he supports the measure and hopes that Vermont will approve legalization through the legislative process, rather than wait for a voter referendum.
The bill in its current form would allow Vermonters to purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries, but does not legalize homegrown cannabis.
“To proponents, it doesn’t go far enough, but there are provisions in the bill that will keep the conversation moving forward to discuss their concerns,” said Republican Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning, vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “To opponents, the bill goes too far, but if you read the language of this 50-plus page bill you will see that virtually all concerns have been taken into account in a way that enables us to get hold of larger concerns.”
Gov. Shumlin said in a press release on Friday:
“This debate is about whether we can take a smarter approach towards marijuana, which is already widely available and used by tens of thousands of Vermonters. Promoting prevention, keeping marijuana out of the hands of kids, getting rid of illegal drug dealers, and doing a better job responding to impaired drivers already on our roads, I believe this legislation is a huge improvement on the failed war on drugs. I look forward to working with the Legislature as they continue to debate this issue.”
The ad likens cannabis prohibition to alcohol prohibition. Cheney’s voice-over tells viewers, “Prohibition was a disaster. It forced alcohol into the underground market, where it was controlled by criminals — and consumers did not know what they were getting.”
The ad launches as state lawmakers begin looking closely at the issue of legalization. Recent polls found that 56% of citizens in Vermont support ending marijuana prohibition, with only 34% in opposition.
Cheney, as Vermont’s former top law enforcement official, decided to appear in the advertisement for the same reason he became Attorney General. “He cares strongly about the safety and wellbeing of Vermont citizens,” said Matt Simon, political director of the Marijuana Policy Project. “There are a lot of current and former law enforcement officials out there who support ending prohibition and regulating marijuana.”
Cheney isn’t the only one. During a recent Senate Committee on Judiciary hearing, Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark also endorsed legalization. “By eliminating the prohibition on marijuana and the need to utilize funding for enforcing a failed policy,” he said, “we as a state can focus on what is important.”
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin announced in his State of the State address Thursday that he will move to legalize cannabis through legislative action.
Governor Shumlin, a Democrat, said that more than 80,000 residents of Vermont had said they used marijuana in 2015. In order to combat the resultant black market, Shumlin said, legislators should work to legalize and regulate cannabis.
“That’s why I will work with you to craft the right bill that thoughtfully and carefully eliminates the era of prohibition that is currently failing us so miserably,” said Shumlin.
Vermont is one of 20 states that have decriminalized marijuana possession.
If the Governor succeeds, it will mark the first time legalization has been achieved the legislative process rather than the ballot box.
Shumlin described his vision of Vermont’s legal market as one in which marijuana would be available to adults and would be taxed at a rate low enough to get rid of the black market. Shumlin also said that the sale of edibles should be banned.
Revenue from marijuana taxes would be used for addiction prevention and treatment as well as helping law enforcement handle impaired drivers.
The Drug Policy Alliance applauded Gov. Shumlin’s announcement. “I’m hopeful this is the start of a new trend,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the DPA.
