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Vermont Holds Statewide Hearing On Marijuana Legalization Report

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During the spring session, the Vermont Legislature required the Shumlin administration to report to it by January 15 on the issues surrounding legalization of marijuana. A statewide public hearing was held Wednesday on the report that is being drafted.

The state has contracted with The RAND Drug Policy Research Center, a neutral non-profit, to develop the report.   Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding appeared with RAND Co-Director Beau Kilmer at a statewide public hearing held and streamed through Vermont Interactive Technologies. Spaulding noted that legislators wanted information surrounding personal use, and in the wake of other states legalizing marijuana, data on issues that are arising including taxation, regulation, safety, agriculture and health.  “I think the governor and key legislators were realizing that at some point this is going to be a serious policy question for the state of Vermont. The question is when. And when the time is right, which maybe is this legislative session, maybe it isn’t.  I don’t think some of the legislative folks and the governor have determined whether it is or isn’t until they have a chance to see what the report says. The governor and legislators have not seen a draft of the report. I haven’t seen a draft of it. We’re expecting it in January. Until then we’re taking a wait and see approach as to whether this would be appropriate to move forward with or not.”

RAND Drug Policy Research Center Co-Director Beau Kilmer spent about 20 minutes outlining the draft report, noting that no other state has crafted a comprehensive analysis assessing legalization issues.  “There’s probably going to be four different sections to the report. The first is going to lay out what the marijuana landscape looks like in Vermont. How much marijuana is being consumed. Looking at the criminal justice resources associated with enforcing prohibition. Then the second piece is going to focus on some of the health and safety issues. The third section is going to lay out all the different options states have. If a state decides to do something other than prohibition they have a number of choices to make. So we’ve got a whole section on different supply mechanisms, a whole chapter on taxation, a whole separate chapter on regulation. A fourth piece of this is trying to do some projections. What legalization could mean with respect to consumption and the tax revenues. And also really looking at the regulatory and enforcement costs to the extent we can.”  

People were given approximately two minutes to testify from sites across Vermont. They appeared split between support and opposition.
“My name is Charlie Murphy. I live and work here in Bennington. I’m a guy with a disability. I started using marijuana around the time I was diagnosed with the disease or the defect that robbed me of my eyesight. I was able to take the edge off that anxiety and I was able to adapt and learn how to go blind gracefully. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered. But I feel it should be legalized.”

“I’m Maureen Fountain. Thirteen years ago my husband was killed in a head-on crash with a young man that was on drugs. He started when he was fifteen years old with marijuana.  I have serious misgivings of how this is going to be regulated so that we are still a safe and sober society.”
 
“My name is Lars Lundeen. I’m an attorney here in Rutland. Frankly I think there’s more damage done from trying to enforce this criminalization of marijuana than any benefits achieved.  Seventy-five percent of the arrests for the use of marijuana involve people that are 30 years of age or less. This is really doing a lot of damage to our younger people and their futures. Also I think it’s being unevenly enforced.”

“My name is Christopher Louras.  I am the Mayor of the city of Rutland and a member of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns’ Board of Directors. It is the formal position of the League of Cities and Towns, after receiving input from the Vermont Chiefs of Police, to formally oppose the legalization of marijuana in Vermont at this time.”

Written comments are being accepted at the Agency of Administration. Audio is courtesy of Vermont Interactive Technologies.
 

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