Vermont House of Representatives Passes Historic Marijuana Legalization Bill
Vermont becomes the first state to attempt to legalize pot via a bill from the state legislature instead of a referendum. The bill still requires the governor’s signature to become law, but the Vermont Legislature showed it’s willingness to address cannabis reform in the state.
State legislators in Vermont on Wednesday passed a bill that would make marijuana legal for adults. Even if the bill does not become law, the state has already made history by becoming the first to send a marijuana legalization bill to the governor’s desk rather than legalize the drug with a referendum.
The Vermont House of Representatives approved a version of a marijuana legalization bill that last week passed in the state Senate. If it became law, adults in Vermont could legally possess as much as an ounce of marijuana flower by mid-2018. Adults would be able to grow six marijuana plants for personal use, with up to two of them mature at any given time. The bill also creates a study commission to develop a retail marijuana scheme with regulations and taxes similar to the programs already enacted states that have legalized recreational marijuana.
It’s not clear if Gov. Phil Scott (R) will sign the bill. He has raised concerns over safety, especially with regard to the potential for impaired driving while under the influence of marijuana. However, the bill could become a law even without Scott’s signature: In Vermont, legislation becomes law if five business days pass without a signature or veto from the governor, although there can be some delays depending on the volume of bills awaiting the governor’s attention.
When asked if Scott will allow the bill to become law, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman said he’s not sure, partly because the governor hasn’t kept him close on his thought processes on the issue.
“There’s room for this to become law, either with or without his signature, because the majority of Vermonters, like the majority in the country, support cannabis reform,” he said. “This governor is not a right-wing ideologue as some national Republicans are, and he’s practical. I think he recognizes that the majority in our state support reform of these laws.”
According to a recent poll from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, Zuckerman is correct that a majority of Vermont voters support allowing people 21 and older to possess and grow a limited amount of marijuana. They also support the state taxing and regulating recreational sales of the plant similarly to alcohol.
If Vermont continues down the set by path this bill, it could become the ninth state to legalize recreational marijuana. The other eight states have all legalized via ballot referendum in recent years. Twenty-nine states, including Vermont in 2004, have legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
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Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
