The House Judiciary Committee voted out the bill, H.170, by an 8-3 vote on Wednesday.
The action was delayed because House leaders feared the bill lacked the votes to pass the full chamber. That appears to have changed in the past few days.
“It sounds like we do have the votes ,” said Rep. Maxine Grad (D-Moretown), chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
The bill is similar to a law in Washington, D.C. It would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for adults, but would not allow sales of the drug in stores or lounges. It would allow Vermonters to possess up to two mature and four immature plants.
Grad, who opposed efforts last year to tax and regulate marijuana as Colorado and several other states do, said she supported this bill because “it’s incremental.”
Some of her concerns about legalization are being addressed, she said, including an increase in the number of police officers trained to detect drugged driving.
She also pointed to a Washington State study that indicated legalization there hasn’t affected youth use of the drug.
Other members of Grad’s committee also turned from opponents of last year’s tax-and-regulate legislation to supporters of this bill.
“This is minimal government intervention,” said Rep. Tom Burditt (R-West Rutland), the only one of four Republicans on the committee who voted for the bill.
Rep. Janssen Willhoit (R-St. Johnsbury) said the bill leaves room for a black market to continue operating, so he could not support it.
Meanwhile, the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project released results of a poll it commissioned indicating that 57 percent of Vermonters support the bill. The poll, conducted this week, also indicated that 54 percent support full legalization, with marijuana taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol.
If the bill passes the House, it will go to the Senate, which last year supported full legalization. Though the bill did not meet the legislature’s crossover deadline last week, House and Senate leaders agreed to give it a week’s reprieve, as Seven Days reported Friday.
If the legislation passes the Senate, it might not receive as warm a welcome from Gov. Phil Scott, who could veto it. Scott has said he wants legalization to wait until there is a roadside marijuana test for drivers, as there is with alcohol.
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Governor Scott is playing games with roadside safety.
His own traffic safety experts have given legislative testimony saying that setting a legal THC limit is a bad idea, and that the way to deal with drugged driving (an existing problem whether or not we legalize marijuana) is to train more police officers as Drug Recognition Experts (DRE’s) and ARIDE-level experts. They said drugged driving is more than just a marijuana thing, and setting random THC limits won’t help at all.
Gov. Scott is ignoring his own expert advisors, and in doing so he’s making our roads less safe. That’s downright shameful.
This is what gives Vermonters pride in their state. As opposed to those who fear for their children if pot is legalized, or that road safety will be impaired, our people remember the advice of Benjamin Franklin, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Vermonters deserve personal freedom, with the confidence that we will use our freedoms responsibly.
Yes, on Bill H-170.
My thanks to all who spoke up to support H.170 as written. We hope that the Senate will not change the bill before it is passed..
The untold story is about those who changed votes by speaking truth to our legislators. We thank the Judiciary for listening to Vermonter’s who support this bill. Governor Scott, Please do not insist on a per-se limit. Cannabis is not like alcohol and prescription drugs. A per-se limit is not supported by science.