Marijuana sales to become legal in Vermont

Vermont will join the ranks of states allowing the legal sale of marijuana and cannabis products under a bill allowed to pass into law by Gov. Phil Scott without his signature on Wednesday.

Scott, in choosing to allow S. 54 to pass into law, asked the Legislature to make additional changes and improvements in January when it returns, namely in the areas of addressing the impact of historic racism as part of cannabis prohibition, and in providing more opportunity for women and people of color in the new marketplace.

“This has been a top priority for the majority in the Legislature for four years, but their work is not complete. They must ensure equity in this new policy and prevent their priority from becoming a public health problem for current and future generations,” Scott said.

Sales are not expected to begin until 2022, as the law provides for a number of steps that must be followed for the state to establish its framework for legal sale of products containing THC, the psychoactive compound that imparts the “high” from cannabis.

Until that framework is in place, Vermont marijuana users remain in a legal limbo, where they can possess a small amount of the substance, but cannot legally buy or sell it. Vermont decriminalized marijuana possession in 2014 and legalized adult possession in 2018. [Read more at Brattleboro Reformer]