Vermont is about to join a growing list of states that are rolling back restrictions on the manufacturing and consumption of recreational cannabis.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced this week that he would not stand in the way of a measure passed by the state’s legislature, which clears the path for regulation on legal cannabis sales while providing provisions to deter abuse and childhood consumption.
In a letter to the Democratic-held majority in both bodies of the Vermont state legislature, Scott tied his decision to allow the bill to pass without his signature to enacting policies that address institutionalized racism.
“I believe we are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history which requires us to address systemic racism in our governmental institutions,” Scott wrote. “We must take additional steps to ensure equity is a foundational principle in a new market.”
The measure creates a cannabis control board to establish guidelines, and a 14% tax will be placed by the state on all marijuana products.
“The significance of Vermont’s decision to legalize and regulate cannabis sales, especially in a state with a Republican governor and through the legislative process, cannot be overstated,” Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Steven Hawkins wrote in a news release this week.
Hawkins added that the decision was a “historic move” underlining a movement in state legislatures throughout the United States to address what is more commonly being seen as burdensome restrictions on recreational marijuana use.
As many as four more states could join Vermont this November as voters in Montana, Arizona, South Dakota, and New Jersey will vote on legal marijuana propositions.
