Scott Signs Cannabis Bill That Many Growers Dislike
June 11, 2025
The bill, H.321, contains mostly minor changes to the rules governing an industry that has experienced growing pains since recreational sales started three years ago.
For example, the legislation clarifies that cops can confiscate illegally grown weed. It require labels to say when weed was harvested and packaged. It creates a new license type for trimmers. And it outlines what happens when a pot shop owner dies or goes bankrupt.
But the bill did not include the any of the major reforms many growers say they need to help them stay afloat as they face intense competition, plunging prices and layers of regulation.
Many growers want to be able to sell directly to consumers, but that didn’t make it into the bill. A modest pilot program to allow special-event permits was stripped out during legislative negotiations.
The bill also did not include the sweeping changes to license fees meant to reduce costs for smaller growers and increase them for bigger ones. Instead, the bill orders the Cannabis Control Board to write a report on the issue. Nor did it include a change that would allow people to smoke weed wherever smoking tobacco is permitted, something cannabis users say is only fair.
the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition, an umbrella group representing several organizations, claimed that lawmakers largely ignored their concerns.
But Rep. Matt Birong (D-Vergennes), chair of the House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs, noted his committee took plenty of testimony from these groups.
“We dedicated a significant amount of time listening to their concerns and vetting their policy requests,” Birong said. “Being ‘shut out’ and not getting what was requested are very different things.”
Search
RECENT PRESS RELEASES
Related Post