Advertisement Vermont House kills marijuana legalization for year Alternative plan to ease penalty on home-grown also fails, 70-79 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Vermont House has voted overwhelmingly against a Senate-passed plan to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. "Enjoy your Chardonnay, but say no to cannabis,?" asked Rep. Chris Pearson of Burlington before the vote."That makes no sense."Watch this storyThe 121-to-28 vote appears to kill any chance this year that Vermont will become the next state to allow recreational marijuana.Gov. Peter Shumlin, in a statement, said he was "incredibly disappointed" by the House decision.Some representatives said they support legalization, but opposed the Senate language. Others said they felt rushed to make a decision before the session ends.Members argued the Senate-proposed system of licensing and taxing growers and retailers - while banning home-grown plants - was too commercial an approach for Vermont.Rep. Chip Conquest, a Wells River Democrat, offered a compromise package that the House debated for much of the day.The alternative would decriminalize possession and cultivation of up to two marijuana plants. Violators would face only a $100 fine. "They could grow for themselves," Conquest said. "It’s not legal, but a civil penalty. It doesn’t put them in the world of committing a crime and avoids the collateral consequences that go with that. We're not in the business of saying a person who grows a plant should have criminal record."But after hours of debate, the House rejected that idea in a 70-79 vote.Republican leader Don Turner of Milton, who opposes marijuana reform, asked lawmakers to put the marijuana legalization to a statewide non-binding referendum in August."This will give us an opportunity to say to Vermonters we care what you think," Turner told colleagues. "Put your money where your mouth is!"That, too, was defeated on a mostly party-line vote.Marijuana reform advocates, including Gov. Peter Shumlin, were not happy.In a statement Tuesday evening, Shumlin said, "The War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition has failed. I want to thank those House members who recognize that and worked to move this issue forward. It is incredibly disappointing, however, that a majority of the House has shown a remarkable disregard for the sentiment of most Vermonters who understand that we must pursue a smarter policy when it comes to marijuana in this state."The House did agree to initiate a public education campaign aimed at young people, expand training for law enforcement charged with combating drugged driving, and establish a study commission to continue to explore issues around possible legalization in the future.That, however, will still have to clear the Senate before adjournment scheduled this weekend. Four other states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana via referendum.