Vermont's chief cannabis regulator says a law just signed into effect that doubles the amount of marijuana adults can legally hold will push more buyers toward licensed dispensaries and away from illicit sellers. He also expects new interstate commerce provisions to eventually push the industry toward shared regional standards.
"Anything that removes a prohibition will hopefully encourage more consumers to purchase regulated cannabis," James Pepper, chair of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, said in an interview with VTDigger.
Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed the bill last month, raising the legal possession threshold for adults 21 and older to two ounces of marijuana or 10 grams of hashish, double the previous limit.
The measure also lays groundwork for possible cross-border cannabis sales, launches a pilot program permitting marijuana sales at events, and adjusts several rules governing licensed operators.
Under the law, the governor could enter compacts with other states for interstate cannabis trade. The text cites a "shifting federal posture on regulated cannabis markets" and states it is "the intent of the General Assembly to prepare for the possibility of regional or interstate cannabis markets." Such compacts could only proceed if: federal law is changed to permit interstate cannabis transfers; Congress bars federal agencies from spending money to stop such transfers; the U.S. Department of Justice issues guidance permitting or tolerating the activity; or Vermont's attorney general certifies that pursuing interstate agreements poses no major legal exposure to the state based on federal court rulings and agency actions.
Pepper told VTDigger that if federal policy shifts to allow interstate cannabis commerce, "we now have an easier path toward having regional standards for cannabis products." He said the event sales pilot, which permits on-site purchases but not consumption, addresses lawmakers' frequent complaints that cultivators lack ways to build their own brand or let customers meet the growers behind their purchases.
The law bars rental agreements from prohibiting tenants from possessing or using cannabis in their units, though landlords may still ban smoking lit cannabis products indoors. It also does away with the vertically integrated license category and lowers licensing fees for cultivation businesses, among other technical revisions.
Earlier drafts would have loosened potency limits, cut taxes, and authorized on-site consumption licenses and delivery services, but those elements were stripped out before final passage.
Scott signed Vermont's original marijuana possession and home-cultivation legalization bill in 2018, and in 2020 let a follow-up bill establishing commercial cannabis sales become law without his signature.
