A bill that would create a regulated cannabis retail market in Vermont has passed the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee, Seven Days reports.
The bill passed the committee by a 4-1 vote in favor on Friday. The legislation will still need to pass the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee before being considered on the floor of the state Senate.
The bill would create a state Cannabis Control Board to regulate the market’s retail sales. Cannabis possession and cultivation are already legal in Vermont, but there is no way to legally buy or sell cannabis yet.
If approved, the Cannabis Control Board would be tasked with issuing permits for retail cannabis stores by April 1, 2021. Lawmakers decided not to allow the state’s existing medical cannabis dispensaries to sell to the general public one year earlier than that date, though the House version of the bill contains that provision.
The bill would tax cannabis at 10 percent at the state level and up to 2 percent more by local governments. Cannabis sales would not be subject to Vermont‘s standard retail sales tax.
Chairperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Sears said that the legislation could make its way to the floor of the state Senate by early March.
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