Indopedia All Things Marijuana
(Vermont State House
Photo: Jared C. Benedict)
The Vermont legislature has set a historic precedent by approving a bill to legalize cannabis.
The state’s senate on Wednesday passed H.511, which legalizes marijuana for adult recreational use, reports Reuters.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott says he intends to sign the bill into law, which would make Vermont the first state to legalize marijuana through legislation rather than a voter-approved ballot initiative.
The bill allows adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce, as well as grow a limit of two adult plants and four immature plants beginning July 1. Unlike other legal states, however, the law will not include a regulated market.
Vermont lawmakers approved a similar bill in 2017, but consideration was ultimately delayed.
The decision to legalize pot comes one week after the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era policy to ease federal interference in states with legal marijuana programs in place.
“Vermont in particular doesn’t care very much what the attorney general thinks,” said Matt Simon, New England political director for the pro-legalization Marijuana…
