Vermont Senate Committee Approves Proposal to Regulate Marijuana for Adult Use

S. 241, which would effectively end marijuana prohibition in Vermont, received bipartisan support in the Senate Committee on Judiciary on Friday

* Statement below from the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana *

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Senate Committee on Judiciary approved a bill (4-1) on Friday that would end marijuana prohibition in the state and regulate marijuana for adult use.

S. 241 would make it legal for adults 21 years of age and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and establish a tightly controlled system of licensed marijuana cultivation sites, testing facilities, and retail stores. It would also create a study commission to examine issues such as edible marijuana products and home cultivation, which would not be allowed under the bill. It would remain illegal to consume marijuana in public or drive under the influence of marijuana. If approved, the new law would not take effect until January 2018.

Earlier this week, Gov. Peter Shumlin and Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Sears announced they would support a bill that “cautiously and deliberately” ends marijuana prohibition in Vermont.

A strong majority of Vermonters (56%) support regulating the cultivation and sale of marijuana for adult use, according to a statewide survey conducted by the Castleton Polling Institute in September.

Statement from Matt Simon, the Marijuana Policy Project’s Montpelier-based New England political director, on behalf of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana:

“Vermont lawmakers are really demonstrating leadership on this issue. They carefully reviewed the evidence and weighed all the options, and they’re now moving forward in a very deliberate fashion. This is a significant and much-needed policy change, so they want to get it right.

“Most Vermonters agree it is time to end prohibition and start regulating marijuana. It’s a product that many adults enjoy for the same reasons that many adults enjoy consuming alcohol. While no substance is entirely harmless, the evidence is pretty clear that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. Adults who choose to consume marijuana should be able to purchase it legally and safely from licensed stores that test and label their products. They shouldn’t be forced to seek it out in an illegal market where they might be exposed to other more harmful substances.”

Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana to Launch Television Ad Campaign Featuring State’s Former Top Law Enforcement Official

In the ad, a former Vermont attorney general compares current marijuana prohibition laws to the ‘disaster’ of alcohol prohibition; he notes that ‘most Vermonters support a more sensible approach’ and urges them to contact their state senators — who are currently examining the issue— and tell them, ‘It’s time to end prohibition and start regulating marijuana in Vermont’

The ad — viewable online at https://youtu.be/Fk45yWMjtRc — will begin airing statewide Tuesday and run through the end of the week on WCAX, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC

MONTPELIER — A new television ad featuring Vermont’s former top law enforcement official speaking out in support of regulating marijuana will begin airing statewide on Tuesday, just as lawmakers are taking a close look at the issue. The ad — viewable online at https://youtu.be/Fk45yWMjtRc — will appear on WCAX, CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC through Sunday.

In the ad, titled “Time to End Prohibition (Again)”), former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney draws a comparison between current marijuana prohibition laws and the failed policy of alcohol prohibition.

“We all know that prohibition was a disaster,” Cheney says as images from the era of alcohol prohibition appear on the screen. “It forced alcohol into the underground market, where it was controlled by criminals, and consumers did not know what they were getting. It made us a nation of hypocrites and lawbreakers.

“Marijuana prohibition has caused a lot of the same problems,” according to Cheney. “That’s why most Vermonters agree it’s time for a more sensible approach,” he says, referencing a September Castleton Polling Institute poll that found 56% of Vermonters support — and only 34% oppose — legalizing and regulating marijuana for adult use.

The ad ends with Cheney urging viewers to contact their state senators and tell them, “It’s time to end prohibition and start regulating marijuana in Vermont.”

“Mr. Cheney decided to appear in this ad for the same reason he served as the state’s top law enforcement official,” said Matt Simon, the Montpelier-based New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, which produced the ad on behalf of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana. “He cares strongly about the safety and wellbeing of Vermont citizens.

“There are a lot of current and former law enforcement officials out there who support ending prohibition and regulating marijuana,” Simon said. “It’s important that citizens and lawmakers hear from them.”

During a Thursday hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Windham County Sheriff Keith Clark expressed support for ending marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a “more controlled and regulated system.”

“By eliminating the prohibition on marijuana and the need to utilize funding for enforcing a failed policy, we as a state can focus on what is important,” he said.

Vermont’s Former Top Law Enforcement Official Backs Effort to End Marijuana Prohibition in 2016, Appears in Ads Highlighting the Benefits of Regulating Marijuana

* Extended statement below from former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney — one ad attached and others at http://RegulateVermont.org/Cheney *

MONTPELIER — A former top state law enforcement official has thrown his support behind the effort to end marijuana prohibition in Vermont in 2016. The Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana launched its first ads of the year on Tuesday, featuring former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney highlighting the benefits of regulating marijuana.

The coalition held a news conference at the Vermont State House to formally announce Cheney’s endorsement, display one of the ads, and express support for the vision Gov. Peter Shumlin laid out last week during his state of the state address. The ads can be viewed online at http://RegulateVermont.org/Cheney.

Cheney served as Vermont attorney general from 1973 to 1975. Previously, he served as an assistant attorney general and was elected Washington County states attorney. He has held a variety of other civic positions and is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Cheney is available for phone interviews and can be reached via Matt Simon at 202-905-2025 or [email protected].

On Thursday, Gov. Shumlin said Vermont “[has] the capacity to take this next step and get marijuana legalization done right” in 2016, and he promised state lawmakers he will work with them to “craft the right bill that thoughtfully and carefully eliminates the era of prohibition that is currently failing us so miserably.”

Statement from former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney:

“As a former attorney general of Vermont, I am committed to bringing awareness to the failures of marijuana prohibition and working toward a safer Vermont. We can’t expect a different result by doing the same failed action over again. The only hope lies in a fundamentally different approach; without further delay, the Vermont Legislature should move forward with plans to regulate marijuana in 2016.

“Under current prohibition laws, marijuana isn’t controlled, so consumers don’t know what they’re getting. It is sold by criminals who don’t ask for proof of age and might expose consumers to other illegal drugs. Meanwhile, our enforcement officials waste their time punishing adults for simple marijuana possession.

“In a tightly regulated system, marijuana will be tested, labeled, and properly packaged. It will be sold by licensed businesses that ask for ID, sell only to adults, and do not expose consumers to other more harmful substances. Plus, law enforcement will be able to spend more time addressing serious crimes instead of enforcing failed prohibition laws.

“As we have in so many other ways, Vermont can once again be a leader, showing how a carefully crafted law can be a victory for justice and public safety.”