Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers (R) is calling on lawmakers to amend the state’s cannabis laws to allow cannabis cultivators to sell their products directly to consumers, Vermont Public Radio reports. Rodgers also wants the law to be changed to allow cannabis to be consumed anywhere tobacco use is allowed.
“We’ve legalized marijuana – cannabis – and there are people who have apartments, have no place to smoke. You should be allowed to smoke cannabis anywhere you can consume tobacco products.” — Rodgers to VPR
Rodgers told VPR that he wanted to allow growers to sell directly to consumers because the businesses of many small cultivators are threatened due to not having access to shelf space in the state’s dispensaries.
“Because the retailers now hold all the cards, they can ice people out,” Rodgers told VPR. “They can pick and choose who they want to deal with, and you’ve got a whole bunch of really good growers that don’t have enough market.”
Rodgers is the only state-elected official in the U.S. who has a cannabis cultivator license. He’s seeking the changes in the bill that passed the House last month that it currently being considered by the Senate, which would make changes to the state’s adult-use cannabis law, including background check requirements, rules for license changes, and other administrative reforms.
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