Vt. House gives marijuana bill a clear path to governor's desk

MONTPELIER - The Vermont House of Representatives has signed off on the marijuana legalization bill that was crafted as a compromise after Gov. Phil Scott's veto.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow their own plants at home. H. 511 would not create a legal market for marijuana in Vermont, nor would it impose any taxes.

The Senate already passed a version of the bill last summer but will need to approve the House's decision to remove a study commission. After that final review, the bill will move to the governor's desk.

Lawmakers spent hours Thursday debating the bill, which was widely expected to pass. Supporters staved off a series of attempts to slow the legislation and rejected several last-minute amendments that would have substantially changed the bill.

House members first rejected a Republican-led effort to delay the vote until the governor's Marijuana Advisory Commission issues its next report on Jan. 15 about preventing youth drug use, detecting impaired drivers and other issues.

Rep. Brian Savage, R-Swanton, who requested the delay, also pointed to reports that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding a policy that allowed states to legalize marijuana.

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Christina Nolan, the U.S. Attorney for Vermont, described the new guidance as a clarification of her office's discretion. She declined to weigh in on Vermont's marijuana legalization debate.

"We're going to use the principles we’ve long used in all drug cases to prioritize our finite resources," Nolan said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe said in a statement that the decision by Sessions would introduce "a new level of uncertainty for dozens of states."

"Apparently, he's more troubled by an 80-year-old using medical marijuana to treat a terminal health condition than he is by coordinating election strategy with Russians," said Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, who is a supporter of legalization.

Vermont lawmakers were undeterred by the federal policy change. They later rejected amendments that would have delayed the effective date of legalization to July 1, 2019, or until Vermont State Police adopted a roadside test for impairment.

"This is a thoughtful, incremental approach to marijuana legalization," House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, said in a statement after the bill passed Thursday evening. "We're proud to be the first state in the nation to pass marijuana legalization without the pressure of a public referendum."

Rep. Kurt Wright, R-Burlington, was upset that supporters would not wait until after the governor's commission issued its report.

"We should have waited for more and better information, both from a report due in 11 days as well as Colorado," Wright said. "This is a mistake that we will not be able to go back from once done."

The final vote in the House of Representatives was 81-63.

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Free Press Staff Writer Elizabeth Murray contributed reporting.

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.

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