Vermont bill to legalize and regulate sales arrives on governor’s desk

Gov. Phil Scott said this week that he remains undecided — please email or call him today!

Yesterday, the bill to legalize and regulate cannabis sales landed on the desk of Gov. Phil Scott. He will have until Wednesday to sign or veto it — if he takes no action, it will become law without his signature.

Please call or email Gov. Scott today and urge him to sign S. 54!

During a debate on Wednesday evening, Gov. Scott made this alarming statement: “In terms of the pot bill, I haven’t made up my mind about that. I have received a lot of groups—racial equity groups—that are asking me to veto it. I was leaning towards letting it go, but I’m really questioning that at this point. I want to hear and listen from them.”

Although we respect the fact that others may disagree, we feel strongly that S. 54 represents an important step forward for racial and social equity. In a recent op-ed, MPP’s executive director Steve Hawkins explained why he views passage of S. 54 — and its companion bill, S. 234 — as “a racial justice imperative.” And in another excellent op-ed, Monica Donovan explained the bill’s equity provisions and warned that, "the insistence on waiting for a perfect bill would simply result in perpetuating this state of pseudo-legalization — and the harm it perpetuates — for at least an extra year."

For more information on the details of S. 54, here is a summary.

We believe it would be a terrible setback if Gov. Scott vetoes this bill, perpetuating the intolerable status quo. Please share this news with your family and friends and urge them to contact the governor.