With Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently calling upon the state legislature to pass marijuana legalization act, it is not shocking that hearings for the two bills to legalize cannabis is being conducted at the earliest time available. A committee hearing will be held January 19, for Vermont lawmakers to consider the two bills that have been filed to legalize marijuana.
The two bills in consideration are Senate Bill 95, sponsored by Senator David Zuckerman, and Senate Bill 241, sponsored by Senator Jeanette White. The hearings of both bills will be conducted in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Senate Bill 95 constitutes for the following:
- Allow Vermont residents to lawfully possess up to two mature and seven immature cannabis plants and up to one ounce of marijuana. Residents would be allowed to keep any marijuana produced from their plants in excess of one ounce, as long as it remains stored in the same secure, indoor area where it was grown.
- Allow non-residents to possess up to a quarter-ounce of marijuana while visiting Vermont.
- Prevent smoking marijuana in a public place, with the exception of permitted marijuana lounges. Smoking marijuana in public would result in a $100 fine.
- Authorize permitted marijuana lounges to sell up to ¼ ounce of marijuana to adults 21 and older for on-site consumption.
- Regulate commercial cannabis cultivators, processors and retail sales outlets.
- Establish an excise tax of $40.00 per ounce on marijuana flowers, $15.00 per ounce on any other marijuana, and $25.00 on each immature marijuana plant sold by a cultivator.
- Automatically expunge all records “related to the arrest, citation, investigation, charge, adjudication of guilt, criminal proceedings, and any sentence related to a conviction for possession of one ounce of less of marijuana, or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, provided the person was 21 years of age or older at the time of conviction”.
And Senate Bill 241 would allow for:
- Allow adults 21 or older to lawfully possess up to one ounce of marijuana and cultivate up to a 100 square foot cannabis plot. Adults would be allowed to keep any marijuana produced from their plants in excess of one ounce, as long as it remains, stored in the same secure, indoor area where it was grown. Adults possessing over the legal limit would be subject to fines, but not criminal charges.
- Allow retail sales of marijuana to adult 21 or older. Vermont residents would be allowed to purchase up to one at a time, while visitors would be limited to ¼ ounce per sale. Colorado uses the same sales model.
- Prevent smoking marijuana in public places, with exception of permitted cannabis lounges. Smoking marijuana in public would result in a $100 fine for the first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $300 for a third or subsequent offense.
- Authorize permitted cannabis lounges to sell up to ¼ ounce of marijuana to adults 21 and older for on-site consumption.
- Not allow the commercial manufacture or retail dale of edible marijuana products immediately, but leaves the door open to edible products in the future upon further study.
- Automatically expunge all records “related to the arrest, citation, investigation, charge, adjudication of guilt, criminal proceedings, and any sentence related to a conviction for possession of one ounce of less of marijuana, or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, provided the person was 21 years of age or older at the time of conviction”.
With the recent poll at 57% in favor of legalizing marijuana by Vermont residents, the Rand Corporation’s study, that Vermont could generate of up to $75 million per year in taxes, may just come true.
While numerous ballot initiatives in different states are expected to be voted on in November, many in the cannabis reform community believe that Vermont could become the first state to legalize marijuana through the state legislature.
In addition to the said bills, one bill has also been introduced to the House, House Bill 277 which acts as a companion bill to Senate Bill 95.