Vermont Senate approves marijuana legalization 16-13

[jct74]

Vermont Senate approves marijuana legalization 16-13

By DAVE GRAM
February 24, 2016

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Senate gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill to legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults in the state.

Approval came on a 16-13 roll call vote after about two hours of debate.

...

“With over 80,000 Vermonters admitting to using marijuana on a monthly basis, it could not be more clear that the current system is broken,” Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin, who supports legalization, said after the Senate vote.

...

If the House approves the bill and Shumlin signs it, Vermont would become the first state to legalize marijuana by state law, while the federal government still outlaws it. Marijuana has been legalized by referendum in Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and Alaska. At least three states - California, Maine and Massachusetts - are expected to vote on legalization referenda this year.

...

read more:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/24/vermont-senate-to-debate-marijuana-legalization/?page=all#pagebreak

[presence]

by state law

hopefully we get it done by constitution at some point

the State should have no control over what food or drugs consenting adults trade, produce, or consume in their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness

[jct74]

Vermont governor makes the case for legal weed



THE TIME IS NOW TO TAKE A SMARTER APPROACH ON MARIJUANA

by Peter Shumlin
March 18, 2016

Last month, the Vermont Senate passed a bill to end the failed War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition in Vermont. This was a big step forward for our state. Bringing marijuana out of the shadows of prohibition is a smarter approach to regulating a substance that over 80,000 Vermonters admit to using on a monthly basis. It makes no sense that we tell those Vermonters that possessing an ounce of marijuana is no more serious than speeding, but then we tell them they must go buy it from a drug dealer who could care less what else they sell or how young their customers are.

Many Vermonters get this. According to a recent poll from Vermont Public Radio, nearly 55 percent of Vermonters favor legalization, while only 32 percent oppose it. Even many of those who oppose the current legislation recognize that as other states act, Vermont will eventually move forward with legalization. The question has now become not if Vermont should legalize marijuana but when.

On that question it’s time for Vermont to act, and not just because the right policy is to fix the broken system we have now. In the coming years, Vermont could very well end up surrounded by legal marijuana markets as states to our south and east, as well as a country to our north, all move towards legalization. This fall, Massachusetts voters will go to the polls to vote on a referendum to legalize marijuana. A poll of Massachusetts voters indicates that a majority support legalization. Colorado, Washington State, Washington D.C., Oregon, and Alaska have all voted to legalize marijuana in similar votes. New Hampshire legislators have been seriously debating legalization legislation, which even passed the House in that state. Canada’s recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize marijuana in that country. Maine and Rhode Island are also considering referendums to legalize marijuana in the coming years.

Vermont has a clear choice. As states nationwide and those close to home continue working to enact smarter policies around marijuana, we can be the first state to do it right. We can lift the veil of prohibition that has prevented us from taking rational steps to address all the issues that come with marijuana use that exist right now, given that one in eight Vermonters uses the substance on a monthly basis. Or we can choose to delay making the right policy choice, continuing to bury our heads in the sand and hope that a policy that has failed for decades will all of the sudden start working.

The stakes are important. The bill passed by the Vermont Senate would represent the most careful, deliberate attempt to regulate marijuana in America. Before passing the bill, the Senate took testimony from experts, asked the right questions, and learned lessons from those states that have legalized marijuana already. The result is a bill to create a system which would represent a huge improvement over the status quo. It would ban the sale of edibles which have caused so may problems in Colorado. It would also allow us to drive out the black market and the illegal drug dealers that come with it, do a better job than we currently do of keeping marijuana out of the hands of underage kids, deal with the drugged drivers who are already driving on our roads, address treatment, and educate Vermonters to the harmful effects of consuming marijuana, alcohol, and cigarettes.

That approach is in stark contrast to the one proposed in the Massachusetts referendum that will be voted on in November, which would allow edibles that have caused huge problems in other states, smoking lounges, home delivery service, and possession of up to 10 ounces of marijuana. Vermont’s bill allows none of that. If Massachusetts moves forward with their legalization bill while Vermont delays, the entire southern part of our state could end up with all the negatives of a bad pot bill and none of the positives of doing the right thing.

The choice in front of Vermonters and their elected representatives in the next couple of months is whether we want our state to take a rational step to end an antiquated War on Drugs policy that almost everyone agrees has failed. We can take a smarter approach in Vermont and be prepared for whatever other states around us do. But we must have the courage to do it.

http://governor.vermont.gov/node/2675

[RJ Liberty]

Well done Vermont! And good luck to the other states trying to get pot legalized. Every state that legalizes marijuana is another brick out of The Wall.

[mrsat_98]

hopefully we get it done by constitution at some point

the State should have no control over what food or drugs consenting adults trade, produce, or consume in their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness

You should dig into what food and drugs really are with respect to "man or other animals" it's a real adventure.

[presence]

You should dig into what food and drugs really are with respect to "man or other animals" it's a real adventure.

I've been down that rabbit hole and got the t-shirt. ;)

[devil21]

You should dig into what food and drugs really are with respect to "man or other animals" it's a real adventure.

Elaborate?

[devil21]

dp

[jct74]

Vermont: House Members Turn Back Marijuana Reform Efforts

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
May 3, 2016

Members of the Vermont House spent over six hours today debating various amendments to reform marijuana policy, but ultimately decided against enacting any significant changes in law.

House lawmakers voted 121 to 28 to reject Senate-approved language that sought to regulate the adult use, commercial production, and retail sale of marijuana. Although Gov. Peter Shumlin and Attorney General William Sorrell publicly supported the effort, House members expressed little interest in seriously considering the measure.

House members also rejected an alternative measure that sought to expand the state’s existing decriminalization law to also include the personal cultivation of marijuana. Representatives voted 77 to 70 to reject the ammendment.

Representatives also debated whether or not to put forward the question, “Should Vermont legalize marijuana for recreational purposes?” before voters as a non-binding initiative during the upcoming August primary election. Lawmakers decided against the proposal by a vote of 97 to 51.

House lawmakers narrowly voted 77 to 68 in favor of provisions establishing an advisory commission to make recommendations to the legislature with regard to future marijuana policy. Specifically, the commission would be tasked with “propos[ing] a comprehensive regulatory and revenue structure that establishes controlled access to marijuana in a manner that, when compared to the current illegal marijuana market, increases public safety and reduces harm to public health.” Those recommendations would be due by December 15, 2016.

House and Senate lawmakers previously approved a study commission in 2014. That commission’s report summarized various alternative regulatory schemes but made no recommendations with regard to if and how lawmakers should ultimately amend state law.

The amended measure now awaits a concurrence vote by the Senate.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Gov. Shumlin said, “It is incredibly disappointing … that a majority of the House has shown a remarkable disregard for the sentiment of most Vermonters who understand that we must pursue a smarter policy when it comes to marijuana in this state.”

http://blog.norml.org/2016/05/03/vermont-house-members-turn-back-marijuana-reform-efforts/