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Bill H.321 Campaign

There is language in Bill H.321 that will have the effect of a moratorium on new retailer licenses, reducing products from reaching the market, reducing fairness, and threatening market viability.

We are fielding urgent concerns from every license type about this proposed language in Bill H.321 and working to strike the section from the bill. We want to call attention to the issue and encourage you to contact legislators to let them know you support removing the moratorium on new retailer licenses. Now is the time to increase market channels or ways for products to reach the market – such as through direct sales, replacing retail opt-in with opt-out, farmers markets, etc. –  not reduce them!

Use the short sample script to quickly contact the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs, along with the sponsors of Bill H.321, urging they strike the language in Section 4 of Bill H.321 that will have the effect of a moratorium on new retailer licenses, and to instead listen to the CCB who has been developing retailer siting rules to manage those licenses. Restricting market channels will cause harm to the market, place licensees at risk, and threaten state revenue and thousands of jobs created by the industry.

Contact the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs

Take a moment to send an email to each member of this key committee and the two bill sponsors. Note that we have included the sample script in each email link to send an email. Please edit the message before sending it by customizing the email with your own story and language explaining why this issue is important to you.

Contact Bill H.321 Sponsors

 
 

Context: Bill H.321 was introduced (Section 16) with a 2-year legislative moratorium, which was removed from the bill and replaced with amendments to the CCB retail siting rules which would force the CCB to keep those rules open and extend the pause new licenses for even longer and has the effect of creating a moratorium.

Sample Email Script

Please copy and paste, then edit the message before sending it by customizing the email with your own story and language explaining why this issue is important to you. We also embedded this sample script into the email links for legislators.

Dear Legislator,

My name is [YOUR NAME]. I live [AND/OR OPERATE A LICENSE, SUPPORT LICENSEES] in [CITY/TOWN], Vermont.

I’m very concerned about Section 4 of Bill.H321, which will create the effect of a moratorium on new retailer licenses in the regulated cannabis market, reducing products from reaching the market for producers who are currently struggling to find shelf space, reducing fairness and equity, and threatening market viability. The regulated market includes over 600 licensees, generates over $20M in annual state revenue, and is responsible for creating over 1,200 jobs – local livelihoods, and this economic progress is at risk should the state decide to pause retailer licenses. The Cannabis Control Board does not support a license moratorium and has already developed rules for retailer siting. Please listen to the voices of the industry and the CCB and strike the proposed retailer siting changes in Section 4 of Bill.H321.

[ADD STORIES OF PERSONAL IMPACT IF RELEVANT].

Thank you for your service to our our local cannabis industry.

[YOUR NAME]