The Ways and Means Committee voted 7-4 on a new version of legislation that would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. It would also allow adults to grow as many as two plants per household if they obtain a $125 permit.
The bill’s measures fall short of those in a legalization bill that the Senate passed. But the bill goes further than a version that the House Judiciary Committee passed a week earlier, which stopped short of legalization.
“I think there will be very positive reaction in the community,” said Matt Simon, New England policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “We’ll have to see what happens in the next committee.”
Voting for the bill in Ways & Means were chair Janet Ancel (D-Calais), Alison Clarkson (D-Woodstock), Jim Condon (D-Colchester), Jim Masland (D-Thetford Center), Sam Young (D-Glover), Joey Donovan (D-Burlington) and Adam Greshin (I-Warren).
Voting against it were Bill Canfield (R-Fair Haven), Carolyn Branagan (R-Georgia), Patti Komline (R-Dorset) and George Till (D-Jericho).
Till objected to the Ways and Means Committee, which is supposed to focus on taxes and fees, writing policy legislation with minimal testimony. “It’s not the way we should be doing things,” he said.
Ancel responded, “If we kill the bill, that’s a pretty big policy statement as well.”
The bill goes next to the House Appropriations Committee, where it likely will meet resistance.
“It’s still an open question about whether the bill in any of its current forms comes to the House floor,” House Speaker Shap Smith (D-Morristown) said Friday afternoon.
But Smith said if the full House doesn’t vote on the topic, the Senate is likely to attach marijuana legalization to another bill to force the issue. Therefore, he said, his goal is for the full House to vote on some version of this bill.
“Trying to bottle it up in committee in the House doesn’t avoid consideration of the issue,” he said.
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 for a version that would have established a panel to study marijuana legalization and put about $600,000 into drug prevention and highway safety money.
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around and around we go where we stop no one knows……..
600,000 thats enough to jump start ag hemp in this state, just saying/ stupid people at the state house.
It’s All About the Money !
Even as the Marijuana Bill circles the drain, “It would also allow adults to grow as many as two plants per household if they obtain a $125 permit.” Give up on the idea of making “big bucks” from regulation and commercialization.
Just end the decriminalization BS. Make home growing of up to three mature plants and three seedlings legal AND home possession of up to three ounces of “end product” and personal possession of 1/2 oz. away from home legal for those Vermonters 21 years of age. Sale of 1/8 ounce of seeds would be permitted through horticultural retailers,
Sale of marijuana would remain illegal at this time.
We’d all be better off if the police would focus on crimes that have actual victims.
Does anyone, other than those who pad their pockets from prohibition honestly believe that wasting $20 Billion and arresting 3/4 Million Americans annually for choosing a substance scientifically proven to be safer than what the govt allows, is a sound policy?
FACT Marijuana is less addictive and less harmful than Caffeine, let alone Alcohol and Tobacco; (3 Scientific Studies)
BTW, Dr Henningfield is a former NIDA Staffer;.
Addictiveness of Marijuana – ProCon.Org
procon.Org/view.background-resource.php?re…
FACT Marijuana is NOT a Gateway Drug. Here’s a 12 Yr Univ Study that says so;.
ajp.psychiatryonline.Org/article.aspx?arti…
Media overview; pitt.Edu/~ugr/Hrych2.pdf