Looking closely at how Vermont legislature is looking closely at marijuana legalization
As I mentioned in this prior post, the students in my semester-long OSU Moritz College of Law seminar on marijuana laws and reform are now starting to assemble readings on particular topics in preparation for an in-class presentation/discussion. This week, one of my students is taking a deep dive into Vermont Bill 241, the bill that sets out a framework for “personal possession and cultivation of cannabis and the regulation of commercial cannabis establishments.” I have uploaded the full 40+ page text of Vermont Bill 241 below, and I thought it interest and notable that the bill begins this way:
The General Assembly finds that Vermont lawmakers recognize legitimate federal concerns about cannabis reform and seek through this legislation to provide better control of access and distribution of cannabis in a manner that prevents:
(1) distribution of cannabis to persons under 21 years of age;
(2) revenue from the sale of cannabis going to criminal enterprises;
(3) diversion of cannabis to states that do not permit possession of cannabis;
(4) State-authorized cannabis activity from being used as a cover or pretext for trafficking of other illegal drugs or activity;
(5) violence and the use of firearms in the cultivation and distribution of cannabis;
(6) drugged driving and the exacerbation of any other adverse public health consequences of cannabis use;
(7) growing of cannabis on public lands and the attendant public safety and environmental dangers posed by cannabis production on public lands; and
(8) possession or use of cannabis on federal property.