Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

Thought Vermont legalized cannabis in the beginning of 2018, social use sales were never legalized. Now, it’s looking like Vermont’s Senate is getting serious about getting regulated sales started. The state’s Senate Judiciary Committee recently released an outline of how sales will be regulated, which is an important step in the process.

“While we only have the outline of the Senate’s proposal I’m encouraged by much of what I see—though many of the details that will most impact the cannabis industry and consumers would be left to the discretion of the Cannabis Control Board the bill would create,” Laura Subin, director of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, told Cannabis News Box.

Subin said she hopes whoever serves on the Cannabis Control Board is dedicated to economic and social justice.

“I was glad to see that the Senate proposal contemplates licensing establishments where marijuana could be consumed. Without that the law would be unfair and illogical,” Subin said.

Many states that have legalized cannabis have had trouble with tourists using cannabis in public. If they’re visiting and not staying in a place where smoking is allowed, then they often have no choice. If you allow a licensed establishment for smoking to exist, that mostly solves that problem.

Subin is happy that progress is being made when it comes to regulating cannabis sales, and she said there are certain priorities she hopes legislators keep in mind.

“I think that one of the most critical aspects of a fair taxed and regulated system is that there be adequate access for small Vermont farmers,” Subin said. “I hope that provisions that protect them will be included in the legislation itself and not left only to the discretion of a board. This would include an unlimited number of the smallest tier cultivation licenses and a limit on large scale cultivation.”

She also wants communities of color, which suffered the most during the War on Drugs, to get special attention while the law is being crafted. Any law that doesn’t include measures to help those communities would be seen as a failure by many.

“I think that the prospects for a taxed and regulate bill are excellent. Vermont will be literally surrounded by jurisdictions with taxed and regulated marijuana in the very near future,” Subin said. “If we do not move forward, we will not only miss opportunities to make cannabis consumption in Vermont safer, but we will also see Vermont dollars going to other states instead of boosting our own economy.”