There Will Be Several Cannabis-Specific Bills in the State House This Year

2022 will be a big year for cannabis in Vermont, and will be will be tracking and engaging with, at least, 6 different cannabis-specific bills this legislative session. Some of these bills are from the last legislative session, many are new from this year, and we may see more appear. We will work with our coalition and colleagues to influence these bills to bring greater equity and fairness to the market.

The State House will be very busy this year, as adult-use sales are set to begin in May, the CCB works to finalize its rules, and we now know there will be, at least, 6 different cannabis-specific bills. We will be tracking and working to influence most of these bills, as they can become vehicles to bring concepts into law that aren’t currently in the language, the legislative process can impact what is in each bill. Below we breakdown each piece of legislation that we will be following, so far.

Bill H.414, The Social Equity Cannabis Bill

This bill is a carryover from the last legislative session, H.414 was written by our friends and coalition partners, The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, and includes the vital social equity vision and framework we need in this state. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Bill S.188, The Agriculture Cannabis Bill

This is a new bill from this year that seeks to regulate licensed small cannabis cultivation as farming, reflecting the work our coalition has pushed to reframe cultivation as more farmer-friendly for our agrarian state. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Bill S.185, The Miscellaneous Cannabis Bill

Another new bill this year, S.185 includes changes to Act 164’s Prohibited Products section, reflecting the CCB’s recommendations on THC caps, it limits dispensaries from using butane or hexane, and more. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Bill S.186, The Medical Cannabis Bill

A new bill this year, S.186 will bring changes to the Medical Cannabis Program, which the CCB is scheduled to begin managing this year, and includes increased plant counts, some eligibility reforms, and more. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Bill S.152, The Local Control Cannabis Bill

Another new bill this year, introduced by Senator White, S.152 seeks to return some of the cannabis excise tax revenue to localities and provide them with more control to assess local licensing fees. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Bill S.154, The State College Cannabis Bill

Yet another new bill this year, this one is fairly narrow in scope, and seeks to appropriate 60% of the cannabis excise tax revenue over to the Vermont State College. Read more about the bill and find its current text.

Look Ahead

2022 will mark the second year of adult-use market implementation and formation in Vermont, with sales beginning in May for Integrated licensees, and the Craft Cultivator and Testing Labs licenses begin to get issued, and some of these pieces of legislation will be crucial to that progress. In the coming months, we plan to bring as many Vermonters into committees in each chamber of the State House to integrate our concepts and principles in some of these bills and to help arrive at a fair and equitable cannabis marketplace and medical program.