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Vermont Legislature Passes Cannabis Legalisation Bill

posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 12 2017, @02:17AM   Printer-friendly
from the Cheech-and-Chong-would-be-proud dept.

butthurt writes:

The Burlington Free Press, via USA Today, reports that Vermont's legislature has approved a bill to legalise cannabis for recreational use. The bill has not been signed by the state's governor, Republican Phil Scott. According to the article

Vermont's bill, which would legalize small amounts of marijuana possession in 2018 and anticipate the possibility of a taxed and regulated legal marijuana market, was approved in the Vermont House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 79-66. The state Senate already passed the bill, so it will go directly to GOP Gov. Phil Scott.

Eight states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana following a voter referendum, but no state yet has legalized marijuana solely through the legislative process, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Legalization advocates said bills were pending in other state legislatures.

"I think it reflects that Vermont elected officials are more in touch with our constituents than a lot of elected officials in other states," said Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a member of the Vermont Progressive Party who has worked on marijuana issues for the majority of his political career. "I think the public is ahead of us, but elected officials tend to be cautious when it comes to change."

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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by takyon on Friday May 12 2017, @02:30AM (2 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Friday May 12 2017, @02:30AM (#508437) Journal

    It would be the first time in U.S. history that a state legislature has legalized cannabis, rather than a voter initiative. It would be a rare example of representatives representing their constituents (although the sweet tax money they could collect might be the decisive factor).

    https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/vermont-awaits-decision-governor-cannabis-legalization [leafly.com]

    On Thursday, the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont sent Scott a letter urging him to veto the legislation, arguing it could “roll back critical public health gains” in the state.

    Go home, Tobacco Free Vermont. You're drunk.

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  • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by frojack on Friday May 12 2017, @04:03AM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Friday May 12 2017, @04:03AM (#508459) Journal

    "I think it reflects that Vermont elected officials are more in touch with our constituents than a lot of elected officials in other states,"

    I think it reflects that Vermont did not have the balls to go FIRST.

    Quite frankly, I'd rather see this as voter referendum rather than a fickle political machination.

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    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12 2017, @07:44AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12 2017, @07:44AM (#508527)

      Quite frankly, the state of Vermont apparently doesn't give a shit about what you prefer.