Last week, the Vermont House approved a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. Today, the Vermont Senate followed suit and the bill’s fate will now be in the hand of Gov. Scott.
The momentum for legal marijuana is gaining in Vermont. As we reported, the House already approved a bill to legalize recreational marijuana use. The Senate has now joined the House in approving H.511.
Under H.511 residents 21 and over will be able to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana flower. They will also be permitted to grow and maintain two mature plants at home.
While Gov. Phil Scott has not commented so far on the Senate passage of H.511, he has recently indicated a willingness to sign a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. Scott could be motivated by the fact that polls show a majority of Vermont residents support legalization.
If H.511 Vermont would become the ninth state to approve recreational marijuana use and the first state to do so through the legislative process and through a ballot initiative.
Other states in the Northeast, including New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, are expected to consider marijuana legalization this year.
The news of Vermont’s Senate approving H.511 comes days after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo, a key provision that shields customers, patients, and businesses abiding by state marijuana laws from federal prosecution.
