House and Senate negotiators agreed to a compromise yesterday evening — urge your lawmakers to support S. 54 in a final vote, then call Gov. Phil Scott and ask him to sign it!
After many years of hard work by legislators and advocates, the House and Senate have finally reached an agreement on the details of a bill to legalize and regulate cannabis sales. Please write your representatives and senators and urge them to support S. 54 in a final vote! Then, call Gov. Phil Scott and encourage him to sign it when it reaches his desk.
Here are some key features of the bill:
- Priority licensing for small-scale cultivators
- Priority licensing for women- and minority-owned businesses
- Independent lab testing of all cannabis sold to patients and adult consumers
- Creating a new independent commission to regulate medical and adult-use cannabis
- Requiring a search warrant prior to saliva testing, which could not be conducted roadside
This has been a difficult compromise for legislators, but Vermonters should be grateful for their hard work and persistence. And now we need representatives and senators to support the bill one last time before it proceeds to the governor’s desk.
Again, please write your state legislators and urge them to support the final compromise, then call Gov. Scott’s office and encourage him to sign it. After you do so, please share this message with your family and friends!