Legal marijuana in VT: Chilling out on gifted weed in the roasting sun

Nicole Higgins DeSmet | Burlington Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Bong hit kicks off VT's first day of legal marijuana Marijuana advocacy organization Heady Vermont holds a big bash in Johnson to celebrate Vermont's first day of legal pot on July 1, 2018.

JOHNSON - It was sweltering hot on Sunday in Lamoille County, but the free weed gifted by cultivation consultants at the legalization celebration kept things upbeat and chill.

"I'm here for the brotherhood. People having a good time and enjoying each other’s company," volunteer Chris Benoit said as he stood at the parking entrance. It was just about noon and 94 degrees as he was finishing his shift.

A quarter mile of relatively cool, leafy trail led to a clearing at Willow Crossing Farm, where vendors were arranged around a stage in what looked like a weed-centric farmers market. Monica Donovan co-founder of Heady Vermont, a weed advocacy group, said the group has been planning the event for six months, since the day Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill to legalize personal use of marijuana.

Adults over age 21 will be able to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, two mature marijuana plants and four immature plants. There is no legal mechanism for purchasing marijuana.

"Maybe a year from now we will be celebrating the legalization of cannabis retail," Donovan said. She and Eli Harrington have hosted a series of events aimed at boosting local businesses and destigmatizing weed.

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But at least one attendee wanted Vermont to stay out of the retail arena.

Monroe Brook, a sustainable farmer with land across from the party venue on Vermont 15, said the current law is enough.

"Small is beautiful," Brook said using a phrase he said was well-known in the 1960s. He was concerned about the impact of industrial marijuana on the environment and on workers.

Supply and demand

Vendor-entrepreneurs were alert, if sweaty, as the first few hundred guests trooped into the Legalization Celebration. At least a half-dozen were hoping for a toe-hold on the burgeoning market for expert consultants, offering to aid those attempting to grow some bud their own.

Some consultants were gifting small buds and single marijuana cigarettes with the purchase of a raffle ticket or another product, such as CBD oil.

"I'll talk to anyone for free, and if they want to tip me afterwards, that's great," Lorin Royer, of Eden, the owner of Dirty Boys cultivation said. Royer was selling t-shirts and hats with his brand's logo. His $3 raffle tickets offered the prize of a specialist consultation for new growers which came with a free marijuana plant.

Royer handed out little swag packets of weed with his logo and business card as a gift.

The festival was keeping things within the legal parameters of the law. There were no sales of weed, but plenty of people were lighting up. Wafts of smoke trailed by in the light breeze which occasionally broke through the humid air.

Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux was present when the celebration kicked off. Marcoux said that he took a walk around, but they have no intention of interfering with the well-organized party.

"We're just keeping the roads safe and clear in case there is a need for an ambulance," Marcoux said.

The organizers ordered a 4,000 gallon water truck and had a volunteer nurse, Mary Ladeaillade, on stand-by who said she was fully prepped.

In the next booth, Jessilyn Dolan, a nurse who founded the Vermont Cannabis Nurses Association, fought the heat in a bikini as she fielded questions about her consultation services. She was thrilled that the FDA had legalized CBD to treat epilepsy on June 25.

"We're getting back to plant medicine," Dolan said as live music by began playing at about 1:30 p.m.

Heady Vermont co-founder Eli Harrington joined the band HoneyTwist on stage taking the lead to perform a cover from Cypress Hill.

"Jump along, take hits from the bong," Harrington rapped receiving hoots of approval from audience members who were still clinging to the vendor's booths.

The party was just getting started.