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House Advances Bill to Regulate and Tax Cannabis Sales

Heady Vermont Staff 27 Feb 2020

S. 54 now returns to the Senate, which is expected to request a conference committee to work out differences with the House before sending the bill to Gov. Phil Scott

MONTPELIER, Vermont — On Thursday, the Vermont House of Representatives completed its work on a bill that would legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis sales for adults 21 and older. S. 54, which initially passed the House in a 90-54 vote yesterday, was approved in a voice vote on third reading.

This is the first time the Vermont House has passed a bill to legalize cannabis sales. A summary of the bill is available here. On Wednesday evening, members of the House voted 90-54 in favor of S. 54 and called for a third reading and final voice vote on the bill for today.

Vermont legalized possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and over in 2018, marking the first time any state legislature legalized cannabis for adults’ use through the legislative process rather than through a voter initiative. However, Vermont remains one of only two U.S. jurisdictions where cannabis is legal but not regulated for adult use. If enacted, Vermont would join the 10 states that have laws regulating and taxing cannabis for adult use. 

 The bill now returns to the Senate, which has already passed it in a 23-5 vote. The Senate is expected to request a conference committee to work out differences with the House before sending a final version of the bill to Governor Phil Scott’s desk.

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