Vermont House to vote on legalized marijuana sales

486 0

The Vermont House is ready to greenlight adult marijuana sales

The bill to legalize marijuana sales in the Green Mountain State continues to move along the process, and it can become a reality very soon. Another Vermont House committee, the Appropriations Committee, approved the bill yesterday, clearing the path for the bill to move forward tightly with six votes in favor and five against. Now, the full House is expected to decide on this bill for Wednesday and Thursday this week, most likely.

Since 2018, Vermont has had legalized possession and in-house cultivation of cannabis for adults, but, based on that legislation, there was no way that any consumer could purchase marijuana within the state’s borders. This bill that is currently trying to make it all the way to the governor’s desk has provisions to establish a commercial cannabis market, creating various categories of business licenses. Also, the plan is to have a government agency that will be in charge of supervising the market activity and to set taxes on legal sales accordingly. Another topic that this bill covers is the potency of the plant defined by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which needs to be at 30% maximum in cannabis flower and, in concentrates, up to 60%.

A few amendments were made to the bill when in the hands of the Appropriations Committee. One of these was to reduce to three the number of members that would be part of the proposed Cannabis Control Board. Its funding was also slightly increased, and a dissolution date was set on July 1, 2024. Another aspect that was approved by lawmakers is that 30% of the excise tax should be used to fund the efforts to prevent substance misuse. Additional funds will be destined for after-school and summer learning programs.