On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the Cannabis Control Board convened its first monthly Board meeting for the new year and approved eighteen (18) initial licenses and twenty (20) license renewals. As reported by the CCB, there are currently 610 active licenses.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board Meeting on January 29, 2025.

“This report includes many noteworthy equity-centered recommendations for legislators to consider in this session, such as directing a portion of the cannabis excise tax to industry and community reinvestment and implementing direct sales for small producers.”

Meeting Overview

In opening remarks on its Wednesday, January 29, Board meeting, Chair Pepper gave notice that the Ceres South Burlington location is closing and emphasized that many adult-use retailers voluntarily offer discounts to medical patients and that the upcoming Medical Use Endorsement retail license should help repair access to the medical community. The Chair also highlighted the current rules amendment process, offering a reminder that the industry needs to engage and comment on the rules, and that the deadline for submitting comments is Friday, February 28, then proceeded to list ten of the more substantive proposed changes:

Reduced and more streamlined license renewal process;
Simplified ownership and location changes;
Changes in the criteria for denying an employee id card;
Codified the propagation cultivation license;
Retail siting rules, which was a charge by lawmakers with Act 166 (2024);
A new regulation preventing unlicensed brands from entering the supply chain;
Limited consignment sales;
Bringing medical dispensaries under CCB rules and Medical Use Endorsement rules;
A new cultivation tier expansion and relegation system;
Curbside pick up and drive through rules.

We are holding a community discussion on the rules amendment process over Zoom on Tuesday, February 4, to break down the Board’s proposed changes as an industry and to discuss other changes we may want, sign up to attend that online event. The CCB is holding its statutorily mandated public comment hearing on Thursday, February 20, and the deadline for submitting comments is Friday, February 28.

After the rulemaking discussion, the Chair introduced Callie Chapman from Onward Analytics and Nick Castro from Stone Leaf Cannabis to discuss their interest in seeking approval to perform a collaborative research study on Aspergillus. The stated goal of the study is to evaluate the hypothesis that the solventless extraction process could potentially be a remediation pathway for flower contaminated with Aspergillus. A waiver is needed to allow the study to take place, which will occur at Stone Leaf. The collaborating group will publish a summary of their results and perform follow-up studies to confirm their results.

After the Board voted on the waiver for the Aspergillus study, the commissioners overviewed the Act 166 (2024) Section 15a and Section 18 legislative reports which our Coalition helped architect in the 2024 legislative session. The Section 15a legislative report is a charge from the general assembly to amend the CCB’s biannual equity report with named stakeholders and to develop specific legislative recommendations around appropriating funds to the Cannabis Business Development Fund and community reinvestment. This report includes many noteworthy equity-centered recommendations for legislators to consider in this session, such as directing a portion of the cannabis excise tax to industry and community reinvestment and implementing direct sales for small producers. The Section 18 legislative report directs the CCB with named stakeholders to develop legislative recommendations on the impacts of Act 166’s outdoor cultivation setbacks, and cultivation districts, and to also discuss and make recommendations on the rebuttable presumption protections we fought to get enacted in past legislative sessions.

Lastly, Executive Director Fitch presented the monthly Executive Director report with current market data and initial licensure and renewals. Of note in this month's Executive Director report is that the state now has 109 retail locations. The next Board meeting will occur on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

Initially Licensed This Meeting

Below is a list of the initially licensed in this Board meeting. Refer to the Executive Director report for the list of license renewals, and other licensing-related issues from this Board meeting.

👉 Cultivators:
- Apple Soup
- GROW. by MJ Cultivators
- D&C Gardens
- Small Family Craft Cannabis
- NW Corner Consulting
- Honey Pie Gardens
- Wizards Bud
- Cavendish Hilltop Farm
- Green mountain farms organics
- The West Mountain Homestead
- Canna Supreme
- Puffin Joe
- As Above
- Enchanted Gardens Botanicals
- Mountain Girl Cannabis

👉 Manufacturers:
- Green Mountain High and Lucille
- Small Family Craft Cannabis

👉 Retailers:
- OTC VT