Vermont

About 1,500 attended the New England Cannabis Convention’s inaugural show in South Burlington, Vermont, meeting the expectations of organizers and setting the stage for an event next year – when cannabis use and possession will be legal for adults in the state. “The hype is real,” said Eli Harrington, co-founder of Heady Vermont and one […]

State attorneys in Vermont’s Chittenden and Windsor counties are moving forward with plans to expunge misdemeanor cannabis convictions with “Expungement Days” this month, Vermont Digger reports. In Chittenden County, Expungement Day is being held June 12 at Edward J. Costello Courthouse in Burlington, while Windsor County’s event is planned for June 9 at Vermont Law […]

Chittenden County, Vermont Attorney Sarah George is pursuing a plan to erase convictions for low-level cannabis crimes, according to a NECN report. George, the head prosecutor for the state’s most populous county, said she believes officials are actually “behind in this discussion.” “Any time that someone has a conviction on their record of something that […]

The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 against a bill to allow law enforcement officers to use a roadside saliva test to test drivers for cannabis impairment, the Burlington Free Press reports. Sen. Joe Benning, a Republican member of the committee and criminal defense attorney, said he opposed the measure because the test doesn’t prove […]

Lawmakers in Vermont’s House are pushing for legislation to implement a taxed-and-regulated cannabis industry as the session nears a close, Vermont Public Radio reports. The push has support from Democrats, Republicans, and Progressives. In January, the Legislature legalized cannabis use for adults but the reforms did not create an industry. Last year the state Senate […]

Tim Fair is a Vermont-based cannabis consultant and the owner/founder of Vermont Cannabis Solutions, the state’s first cannabis law practice. In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Tim joins our podcast host TG Branfalt in his Vermont studio for a conversation about the landmark cannabis reform law passed earlier this year by Vermont’s legislature, the […]

We’re not expecting the Wild West in Vermont – think pre-legalization California with its semi-legal dispensaries and quasi-legal delivery services – but, as you might expect, we are expecting the law’s “loopholes” to be exploited by savvy industry enthusiasts. Coming from a New York native (more or less), Vermont has been a green beacon for […]

Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Tom Anderson has told members of the House Transportation Committee that their highest priority this session should be passing legislation to allow law enforcement to use saliva drug tests if a driver is “reasonably suspected” of being impaired, according to a VT Digger report. The Vermont American Civil Liberties Union […]

Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) has signed the state’s cannabis legalization bill into law, making Vermont the ninth state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the first to do so without a ballot initiative. Vermont’s legalization plan will allow adults 21 and older to grow and possess cannabis, but stops short of a full “tax and regulate” […]

Attorney generals from 17 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam have sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to “advance legislation that would allow states that have legalized medical or recreational use of marijuana to bring that commerce into the banking system” following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ move to rescind the Cole Memo protections. […]

Vermont has become the first state to legalize cannabis via the legislature for the second time today in a voice vote, rather than a debate and roll call vote. The approval will allow adults 21-and-older to possess up to 1 ounce of flower, 5 grams of concentrate, and grow up to two mature plants beginning […]

On the eve of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ directive to rescind the cannabis industry protections in the Cole Memo, House lawmakers in Vermont pushed forward a bill to legalize cannabis for adults, passing the measure 81-63. If approved by the Senate – the vote is expected on Tuesday – and signed by Gov. Phil Scott, […]

The York County, Nebraska prosecutor handling the case of the elderly couple from California stopped with more than 25 bags of cannabis in the state said he has no reason to suspect their son – Chittenden County, Vermont Chief Deputy State Attorney Justin Jiron – had any knowledge or involvement in the bust, the Burlington […]

An elderly couple made headlines last week after they were arrested in Nebraska with 60 pounds of cannabis, telling police that they planned to give it away as Christmas gifts to relatives in Vermont and Massachusetts. The Burlington Free Press now reports that their son is Justin Jiron, chief deputy state attorney for Chittenden County, […]

The CBD and Hemp Holiday Farmers Market took over Burlington, Vermont’s City Hall – yes, City Hall – on Sunday in the latest Heady Vermont-organized effort to provide public exposure for the state’s burgeoning industry. The event featured 18 vendors and, according to the coordinators, drew at least 500 people interested in the hemp-derived CBD […]

Eli Harrington is the co-founder and managing editor of Heady Vermont, a cannabis news outlet dedicated to Vermont’s medical cannabis industry and culture, and host of the Vermontijuana Podcast. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast interview, Eli joins our host TG Branfalt — who is currently a Vermont resident, as well — to discuss cannabis’ entrepreneurial culture […]

Vermont regulators have awarded the state’s fifth medical cannabis dispensary license to PhytoScience Institute, LLC., who will open shops in Bennington and St. Albans. The firm was one of five applicants to apply for the license. Under the Department of Public Safety rules, PhytoScience must obtain an operating registration certificate and begin dispensing cannabis products […]

Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, a Democrat, has appointed Rep. Ann Pugh and Rep. Maxine Grad to the governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission. The appointments by Johnson are required under the executive order creating the commission. Pugh, a Democrat, serves as the chair of both the House Committee on Human Services, and the Joint Legislative Child […]

Some of Vermont’s finest hemp-derived products were on display at the state’s inaugural Hemp Fest – and the event surpassed the expectations of attendees, exhibitors, and the organizers alike. Featured were more than 20 exhibitors, from hemp cultivators to CBD producers to ancillary businesses — including the usual, such as web designers, and the not-so-usual, such […]

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott last week announced the creation of the Governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission which was conceived following Scott’s May veto of the first cannabis legalization bill ever passed by a state Legislature. Scott originally created the commission with an executive order following his veto action. “As I’ve said before, I’m not philosophically opposed […]

Vermont-based Long Trail Brewing Company is partnering with local hemp cultivators Luce Farm on an infused beer using the farm’s CBD-infused honey. The yet-to-be-named small-batch brew is set for a Labor Day weekend release. Ian Harbage, co-head brewmaster for Long Trail, said that while “there might be a bit of public learning curve” around the […]

Officials in Massachusetts have complied with a medical cannabis patient data request from the White House National Marijuana Initiative, but Gov. Charlie Baker indicated that none of the submitted information can be used to identify patients, CBS Boston reports. The information included the gender, age, and date of cannabis prescription for the state’s 40,000-plus registered […]

A lawsuit over a vehicle search after a traffic stop based on the alleged odor of cannabis is headed to the Vermont Supreme Court after being thrown out by a lower court in May, according to a VT Digger report. The lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Gregory Zullo alleges that […]

The founder of Vermont-based Magic Hat Brewing Company, Alan Newman, has partnered with the founder and chairman of Gardener’s Supply, Will Raap, hoping to secure the state’s fifth medical cannabis license, according to a VT Digger report. Newman and Raap are aiming to build their production facility in Randolph with dispensaries in Lyndonville and Winooski. […]