Cannabis Update

Discussion of S.188 has continued in Senate Agriculture, and Graham (Rural VT) and VT Cannabis Equity Coalition colleague Geoffrey Pizzutillo (VT Growers’ Association) provided testimony (our testimony begins 1 hour into the video) on Friday the 21st in support of particular changes to the bill.  Senator Starr suggested in our introduction to Senate Agriculture on Thursday the 27th that the Committee was favorable to our proposal that all outdoor production be considered agricultural - which would be a significant improvement to legislation.  

A critical next step in achieving our Coalitions’ goals is to get lawmakers and the CCB to pursue our recommendations and the CCB’s Social Equity recommendations of getting portions of the cannabis excise tax revenues committed to the Cannabis Development Fund and to historically underserved and disproportionately affected communities.  The legislature and the CCB have by statute and in testimony committed to prioritizing social equity, small farmers, and bringing the legacy cannabis economy along with the regulatory process.  How does the CCB and legislature plan to act on this fundamental social equity recommendation from the CCB and our Coalition given its statutory obligations and expressed prioritization for social equity?  We have not seen a bill introduced addressing this.  Our Coalition submitted H.414 in 2021 which is focused on social equity; it is a vehicle for social equity recommendations and it is still waiting to be taken up by the House Government Operations Committee.  

We continue to also support and advocate for a number of other components of our Coalition’s platform on cannabis - in particular scale appropriate regulations supporting direct sales from cultivators to consumers of the very plants and products they have grown - as well the platform of the VT Cannabis Nurses Association / Green Mtn. Patient Alliance.