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

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: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12 2017, @02:53PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12 2017, @02:53PM (#508636)

    Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, we've just watched every state on our borders legalize marijuana. It's still a felony here if you've got a bag on you and the police decide to frame it as trying to sell (possession is "only" several hundred dollars and a misdemeanor). I wonder if we'll be next, or if the current governor is going to double-down on our current laws. Staying as is probably won't work.

    It seems like the latter would be quite good for the police unions, and they've got a fair bit of power here. Just set up some people at the borders and pull over the stoner-looking types re-entering the state, and you've instantly got a new revenue stream. I think the public (certainly the politicians) would have their back, too. They seem to be pretty well bought into the idea that legalizing marijuana would somehow make everyone who isn't already one into an opiate addict.

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