Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin issued the following statement after the Senate Appropriations Committee (on a vote of 4-3) today passed S241, legislation to legalize marijuana in Vermont. This follows favorable votes in both the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees. The bill is scheduled to go to the full Senate later this week, where it is expected to pass. Its future in the House is less certain. Opponents see the House as an opportunity to stall the bill. Proponents of legalization will push hard to get a bill through the House and all the way to the governor for his signature this year. If the bill fails to pass this session, it would have to start over next year with a new governor and a new Legislature.
“Over the past month and a half, the Vermont Senate has shown once again how our state has the capacity to have a thoughtful debate about an important issue facing our state. The Senate has asked the right questions, explored the lessons learned from other states that have gone before us, and crafted a cautious, step-by-step approach that I believe will result in a smarter policy towards marijuana in Vermont. Starting with Senator Dick Sears in the Judiciary Committee, the legislation has benefited from the thoughtful leadership of many, including Senator Tim Ashe in the Finance Committee and Senator Jane Kitchel in the Appropriations Committee.
“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.”
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“The Senate has worked diligently and deliberately on this legislation,” said Matt Simon, the Montpelier-based New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “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.”
S241 would make it legal for adults 21 years of age and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and establish a tightly controlled system of licensed marijuana cultivation sites, testing facilities, and retail stores. It would also create a study commission to examine issues such as edible marijuana products and home cultivation, which would not be allowed under the bill. It would remain illegal to consume marijuana in public or drive under the influence of marijuana. If approved, rulemaking would begin this summer, but the new law would not take effect until January 2018.
Last week, Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell and two former attorneys general, Jerome Diamond and Kimberly Cheney, sent a letter to legislators encouraging them to move forward with the proposal to end prohibition and regulate marijuana.
“Instead of subsidizing gangs and cartels with a failed prohibition policy, we believe Vermont should focus on reducing the harms associated with marijuana and other drug use through prevention, education, treatment and smart enforcement strategies,” the letter said. “We strongly believe that these goals can best be achieved through regulation, not prohibition.”
The full letter from the attorneys general is available HERE.
Earlier today, Vermont Public Radio released the results of a new poll conducted by the Castleton Polling Institute that found 55% of Vermonters support passing a law to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use. Only 32% said they are opposed. The survey of 895 Vermonters was conducted February 3-17. More information about the poll is available HERE.