Vermont Gov. Phil Scott vetoed marijuana legalization legislation Wednesday, ending a suspenseful two-week period that followed state legislators' first-in-the-nation approval of a recreational legalization bill.

Scott, a Republican former race car driver, announced his decision at a dramatic press conference that began with him saying “I generally view [marijuana legalization] through the lens of a libertarian."

The governor said “with that libertarian streak in me, I believe what adults do behind closed doors and on their own personal property is their choice, so long as it doesn’t negatively impact the health and safety of others.”

Scott said, however, he would not sign legalization legislation before three changes are made to protect public health and safety.

Specifically, the governor said he wants penalties for distribution to minors to remain unchanged, along with new penalties for intoxicated driving and use around minors and a bolstered membership and mandate for a commission that would study regulated sales.

He stressed that he would like an educational strategy to be developed for youth and for tracking to be in place to review the effects of legalization.

The vetoed bill would have allowed adults 21 and older to possess 1 ounce of marijuana and grow two mature plants at home, effective in July 2018, and would have set up a commission to study regulated sales.

Vermont would join eight states and the nation's capital in allowing recreational pot use. State cannabis laws vary significantly and many await implementation. (Steven Nelson for USN&WR)

Scott said a revised bill could pass the legislature during a special veto session in June, and despite saying he wanted an established intoxication threshold for drivers said he could sign legislation without that yet-to-be-determined figure.

Vermont currently allows medical marijuana, and possession of small amounts of pot without medical approval is punished by a civil citation of up to $200 for first offenses.

Scott suggested Vermont police have not been issuing many tickets for marijuana possession. “I don’t know that anyone’s receiving civil citations,” he said.

Scott told a group of local reporters that he believe “this isn’t our highest priority in the state” and that he was surprised when the legislature cobbled together the bill in the final days of its regular legislative session. He said he anticipated the debate happening next year and that although he never personally used marijuana, some of his friends do and that they are opposed to potentially high marijuana tax rates.

Scott’s desire for better roadside testing may be resolved before long.

In a Tuesday interview, the CEO of marijuana breathalyzer company Hounds Labs, Mike Lynn, told U.S. News he expected to be taking orders from law enforcement agencies in late 2017, with a relationship between readouts and intoxication increasingly becoming apparent by the time Vermont would allow recreational use.

Hound Labs announced this week an infusion of $8.1 million from venture capital firm Benchmark. The company previously raised more than $6 million to develop its technology, backed by a University of California chemistry breakthrough.

Another marijuana breathalyzer is being developed by the British Columbia-based company Cannabix, which is testing technology that it developed with assistance from the University of Florida.

Hounds Labs' marijuana breathalyzer measures picograms of THC. (Hounds Labs)

Breath tests are intended to detect more recent marijuana use than blood or urine tests, which don’t necessarily indicate a driver is impaired. Oral fluid testing also is beginning to supplement human observation by trained officers, with the technology winning acceptance by some courts.

At his press conference, Scott acknowledged that Vermont’s next-door neighbors Massachusetts and Canada, along with nearby Maine, are moving to regulate recreational sales, putting lawful access within driving distance of Vermonters.

“We have to recognize the vast support there is within our state, within the nation, within a nation to our north, to move forward on this,” he said.

Eight states and the nation’s capital currently have laws allowing recreational marijuana use. Each of the measures has been passed by popular vote, often over opposition from elected officials.

Though state and federal politicians have been slow to act, recent polls show roughly 60 percent of Americans believe marijuana use should be legal.

Vermont's bumpy path toward marijuana legalization recalls the state's experience being the first in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage without a court order. Then-Gov. Jim Douglas, R-Vt., vetoed same-sex marriage legislation in 2009, but legislators overrode him.

State lawmakers don’t have the votes to override Scott’s veto, and it's not yet clear if they will be able to pass a reworked bill next month.

Rep. Thomas Burditt, a Republican who supports legalization, says the state already increased funding for drug-recognition experts and new education programs last year.