A bill to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults in Vermont has cleared its third and last Senate committee and is expected to be up for debate on the Senate floor this week. If it passes, the bill’s fate is uncertain in the House.
If the full Senate passes the measure in votes that could come Wednesday and Thursday, it goes to the House.
Speaker Shap Smith reports there doesn’t appear to be support to pass the measure in that chamber. "I am hearing from a large swath of the Republicans and Democrats concerns about whether the questions that people have about legalization have been answered. And I think that if there was a vote today the bill would not pass in the House.”
Governor Peter Shumlin is a strong backer of the measure. He issued a statement after Monday's committee vote saying it will cut the black market, allow the state to focus on prevention and treatment and help keep marijuana away from young people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.
