Vermont Becomes the Ninth State to Legalize Adult Marijuana Possession and Personal Cultivation
MONTPELIER, VT Vermonts Republican Gov. Phil Scott has signed legislation (H. 511) into law legalizing the use and cultivation of marijuana by adults.
Vermont is the ninth state to statutorily permit adults to possess marijuana for personal use, and it is the first state to enact these reforms via legislative action rather than by the passage of a voter-initiated ballot measure.
The majority of Vermonters, like the majority of the American public, desire to live in a community where responsible adults who choose to consume cannabis are no longer criminalized or stigmatized, said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. Governor Scott should be recognized for helping to provide Vermonters with a path forward at a time when many elected officials elsewhere are clinging to the failed policies of the past.
The forthcoming law, which takes effect on July 1 of this year, eliminates civil penalties specific to the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis, and also removes criminal penalties with regard to the private cultivation of six marijuana plants (two mature and up to four immature). Those who cultivate marijuana for their own personal use may possess ...
