Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Officially Passes Vermont House Of Representatives | Marijuana Moment - Kyle Jaeger:
February 27, 2020 - "The Vermont House of Representatives finalized its approval of a bill to legalize the retail sale of marijuana on Thursday, but Gov. Phil Scott (R) said he’s not happy with at least one key component of the legislation. Though the House cast a strong initial vote in favor of the legislation on Wednesday, the measure required one additional vote to formally clear the chamber. Members gave third reading passage to the bill in a voice vote....
"Vermont legalized the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use in 2018, but there is currently no way for consumers to legally purchase marijuana. The current bill would resolve that by establishing a commercial cannabis market in the state, creating various categories of business licenses, and setting tax rates on legal sales.
"Because the Senate already approved S. 54 — with a veto-proof majority — last year during the first half of the two-year legislative session, House and Senate leaders are now expected to appoint members to a bicameral conference committee to reconcile differences between the two bodies’ versions of the legislation....
"It’s not exactly clear what Scott will do when the final legislation arrives on his desk. He had initially vetoed a noncommercial legalization bill lawmakers passed in 2017 but, after garnering concessions on certain provisions, signed a revised version into law early in 2018. Following the House vote on Thursday, the governor said he’s not satisfied with how the legislation that emerged from the House would require police to obtain a warrant before doing a saliva test....
"That said, top lawmakers and an administration official recently indicated that the governor is “at the table” in discussions about the latest reform move and would be open to using cannabis tax revenue to fund an after-school program he’s pushing. During Wednesday’s earlier floor consideration, an amendment was approved to explicitly provide funding for such an initiative.
"'The House has bent over backwards to address the various issues that Gov. Scott has raised with the legislation,' Dave Silberman, an attorney and pro bono drug policy reform advocate, told Marijuana Moment. '“It appears the only remaining area of disagreement is the governor’s insistence on a warrantless saliva test that would blatantly violate the people’s rights enshrined in Vermont Constitution,” he said. “I hope that as the governor learns more about our Constitution, he will see why his position is untenable.'"
"Vermont residents are strongly in favor of the general reform move, according to a poll released earlier this month by the Marijuana Policy Project. That survey showed that about three-in-four Vermonters support allowing adults to purchase marijuana 'from regulated, taxpaying small businesses.'
"In neighboring New Hampshire, the House approved a bill last week that would create a policy similar to what Vermont currently has, allowing adults to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use without a retail component."
"Vermont legalized the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use in 2018, but there is currently no way for consumers to legally purchase marijuana. The current bill would resolve that by establishing a commercial cannabis market in the state, creating various categories of business licenses, and setting tax rates on legal sales.
"Because the Senate already approved S. 54 — with a veto-proof majority — last year during the first half of the two-year legislative session, House and Senate leaders are now expected to appoint members to a bicameral conference committee to reconcile differences between the two bodies’ versions of the legislation....
"It’s not exactly clear what Scott will do when the final legislation arrives on his desk. He had initially vetoed a noncommercial legalization bill lawmakers passed in 2017 but, after garnering concessions on certain provisions, signed a revised version into law early in 2018. Following the House vote on Thursday, the governor said he’s not satisfied with how the legislation that emerged from the House would require police to obtain a warrant before doing a saliva test....
"That said, top lawmakers and an administration official recently indicated that the governor is “at the table” in discussions about the latest reform move and would be open to using cannabis tax revenue to fund an after-school program he’s pushing. During Wednesday’s earlier floor consideration, an amendment was approved to explicitly provide funding for such an initiative.
"'The House has bent over backwards to address the various issues that Gov. Scott has raised with the legislation,' Dave Silberman, an attorney and pro bono drug policy reform advocate, told Marijuana Moment. '“It appears the only remaining area of disagreement is the governor’s insistence on a warrantless saliva test that would blatantly violate the people’s rights enshrined in Vermont Constitution,” he said. “I hope that as the governor learns more about our Constitution, he will see why his position is untenable.'"
"Vermont residents are strongly in favor of the general reform move, according to a poll released earlier this month by the Marijuana Policy Project. That survey showed that about three-in-four Vermonters support allowing adults to purchase marijuana 'from regulated, taxpaying small businesses.'
"In neighboring New Hampshire, the House approved a bill last week that would create a policy similar to what Vermont currently has, allowing adults to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use without a retail component."
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