Vermont is getting closer and closer to becoming the first state in history to end cannabis prohibition through the state legislature. This would be a huge move for the cannabis movement and the rest of 2016. On Thursday, the Senate passed a bill with the goal of legalizing cannabis for recreational purpose. This would lead to recreational marijuana being distributed in dispensaries in 2018. The bill now has to go through the House of Representatives to pass.
Albeit there has been some opposition throughout the whole process, certain lawmakers claim that it would ruin the image that Vermont has worked so hard to build up. Ironically, candidate Bernie Sanders is the senator of Vermont and is the largest cannabis advocate in the running. At the same time, other lawmakers claim that the measure did not do enough to the cannabis movement. However, the result was an agreement that would help Governor Peter Shumlin eliminate prohibition.
Senate Bill 241 would give the residents of Vermont access to purchasing up to half an ounce of marijuana at a time for recreational use while those who do not live in Vermont would be able to buy up to a quarter of an ounce. In addition to that, every citizen would be able to have at the most an ounce of marijuana in public without any consequences. Finally, although marijuana edibles and home growth are not mentioned in the proposal, it does come with a statement allowing for the making of a commission weighing the pros and cons of these issues for future consideration.
Before the vote, the Senate changed the commercial growth part of the measure to adjust for the making of smaller corporations. License fees for small farmers would begin at prices as cheap as $1,000, and up to $25,000 for larger businesses. Whether Vermont will become one of the four other states that have legalized cannabis for recreational use is now in the hands of the House of Representatives.
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