The Vermont Senate voted to create a new system of legal marijuana Friday, an effort to revive legislation stalled in the House.The Senate bill would establish a Colorado-style system and passed by a lopsided 21-9 vote.Senate supporters appeared frustrated over the fact the House has spent most of the session considering H. 170 -- a more modest legalization bill -- but still has not held a floor vote.The Senate bill is similar to one approved in 2016 -- later killed by the House -- to tax and regulate recreational marijuana like alcohol. The bill would allow license cultivation and retail sale of marijuana in Vermont to adults 21 and over and eliminate penalties for limited home cultivation. Edible marijuana products would be prohibited. The bill would tax growers and retail shops and use the revenue to fund a significant youth prevention and education campaign, law enforcement and state laboratory testing. The House Judiciary Committee's version would only remove remaining penalties for limited adult possession and home cultivation but would not tax or otherwise regulate the substance. The Senate bill is unlikely to be considered further before lawmakers adjourn in two week but Friday's dramatic vote keeps the issue alive for the second half of the biennium starting in January.A Rand study estimated that 80,000 Vermonters regularly use marijuana, fueling a robust black market, senators said. They also noted a new CBS News poll released this week showing 61 percent of Americans now support legal recreational marijuana use.Lawmakers said there was a new urgency to legalize marijuana in Vermont after neighboring states recently approved similar measures. Canada is also considering legalization in 2018. Opponents of legalization in Vermont argue the bill will endanger highway safety because there's still no technology available to police officers to easily test a driver for marijuana impairment during roadside stops.Download the MyNBC5 app | Like MyNBC5 on Facebook

The Vermont Senate voted to create a new system of legal marijuana Friday, an effort to revive legislation stalled in the House.

The Senate bill would establish a Colorado-style system and passed by a lopsided 21-9 vote.



Senate supporters appeared frustrated over the fact the House has spent most of the session considering H. 170 -- a more modest legalization bill -- but still has not held a floor vote.

The Senate bill is similar to one approved in 2016 -- later killed by the House -- to tax and regulate recreational marijuana like alcohol.

The bill would allow license cultivation and retail sale of marijuana in Vermont to adults 21 and over and eliminate penalties for limited home cultivation.

Edible marijuana products would be prohibited.



The bill would tax growers and retail shops and use the revenue to fund a significant youth prevention and education campaign, law enforcement and state laboratory testing.

The House Judiciary Committee's version would only remove remaining penalties for limited adult possession and home cultivation but would not tax or otherwise regulate the substance.

The Senate bill is unlikely to be considered further before lawmakers adjourn in two week but Friday's dramatic vote keeps the issue alive for the second half of the biennium starting in January.

A Rand study estimated that 80,000 Vermonters regularly use marijuana, fueling a robust black market, senators said. They also noted a new CBS News poll released this week showing 61 percent of Americans now support legal recreational marijuana use.

Lawmakers said there was a new urgency to legalize marijuana in Vermont after neighboring states recently approved similar measures. Canada is also considering legalization in 2018.

Opponents of legalization in Vermont argue the bill will endanger highway safety because there's still no technology available to police officers to easily test a driver for marijuana impairment during roadside stops.

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