Activists Renew Push to Legalize Marijuana in Vermont
MONTPELIER, VT A renewed push to legalize marijuanain Vermont will kick off Wednesday at the State House.
Members of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, including representatives from Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, ACLU-VT, and the Marijuana Policy Project, say Vermont should join other New England states that are removing legal penalties for adult possession and home cultivation of small amounts of marijuana.
Massachusetts and Maine are in the process of implementing voter-approved initiatives to make marijuana legal for adults and regulate it like alcohol.
Under current Vermont law, possession of up to one ounce of marijuana is a civil violation punishable by a fine of up to $200 for a first offense. Possession of one to two ounces of marijuana and cultivation of up to two marijuana plants are criminal misdemeanors punishable by a fine and up to six months in jail.
In the neighboring state of Massachusetts, it is now legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes. In Maine, possession of up to 2.5 ounces and home cultivation of up to six plants will officially become legal on January 30.
Massachusetts, Maine, and six other states have made ...
