Indopedia All Things Marijuana
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As America’s recreational cannabis industry continues to reconcile and react to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to revoke the Cole Memo and end federal protections for state-sanctioned legal weed, lawmakers in Vermont are carrying on with their cannabis reform efforts, moving one step closer to legalizing the controversial plant in the Green Mountain State on Thursday, but with one very important caveat.
According to the Burlington Free Press, the Vermont House of Representatives voted by a margin of 81-63 in favor of Bill H.511, sending the measure to legalize recreational cannabis legislation back to the state’s Senate for a quickly expected endorsement, at which point it would move to the desk of Gov. Scott for final approval — a series of events that lawmakers and political pundits alike predict will happen without delay.
“This is a thoughtful, incremental approach to marijuana legalization,” said Vermont House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski in a statement after the bill passed Thursday evening. “We’re proud to be the first state in the nation to pass marijuana legalization without the pressure of a public referendum.”
