Vermont Legalization Deal Likely This Week

  Despite a disappointing gubernatorial veto, Vermont’s historic legalization bill could still move forward — this week. Vermont came within a stroke of Gov. Rick Scott’s pen of becoming the first state to legalize marijuana through the regular old legislative process, rather than put the hard and dirty work to voters. But even though the state Legislature passed a legalization bill with broad support, and even though the Republican admitted to not being “philosophically opposed” to allowing adults 21 and over to use cannabis legally, on May 24, Scott scuttled the effort with a veto. Disappointed cannabis advocates were nonetheless confident that the setback was temporary. Even Scott said that there was a clear “path forward,” if some minor concerns were address. And on Friday, it appeared that the delay would be less than a month. According to Vermont Public Radio, Scott expressed confidence that a compromise plan to legalize marijuana in Vermont could be reached as soon as Wednesday. For the most part, the plan to legalize in Vermont is very similar to legalization schemes approved by voters in eight other states. As the Vermont Press Bureau reported, the plan as it stands now would “legalize the possession of up to 1 ounce of dry marijuana and the cultivation of up to two mature marijuana plants and four immature plants beginning on July 1, 2018.” It would also set up a state commission tasked with figuring out how to roll out regulated commercial sales at an unspecified date. Where the…

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