Despite the Donald Trump’s Administration proposing a lockdown of all cracks, Vermont have become another State to legalize the use of marijuana or cannabis in the State. This was made known when the legislatures proposed the bill in the senate and went ahead to vote for it and put it into law. Vermont became another State to join the bandwagons of States who have legalized it despite the threat of federal penalties which it might attract.
Many other States who attained and legalized the use of cannabis did it through the vote of the people but Vermont did it through their legislatures. According to the Statement issued by the Republican Governor Phil Scott, he said that; ”I personally believe that what adults do behind closed doors and on private property is their choice, so long as it does not negatively impact the health and safety of others, especially children,” Mr Scott said.
But this law does not allow the use of marijuana for commercial purposes but it moderates and has given adults the right to live their own lives.
But the main purpose of legalizing marijuana is because of the healing and relief it grants to people who are stuck with life threatening diseases and this made medical marijuana to be legalized on May 19th, 2004 under the Governorship of James Douglas. The law was further amended and its awareness kept growing till this stage.
The bill which was passed also stated that the law will take effect on the 1st of July, 2018. This law will grant adults from the age of 21 the use of cannabis, either for growing or for recreational purpose.
As it stated, each adult over the age of 21 will be given an ounce of marijuana and if one indicates interest in cultivating it, the person will be given two mature cannabis and four immature cannabis which will depend on each housing unit.
This will guarantee that a tenant gets a considerable permission from the landlord for the tenant to grow cannabis and it also important to note here that the landlord is not mandatory, under law, to grant permission.
Since Cannabis is legalized now, can one be arrested if found with it?
The law of the State states that all adults above 21 who wants cannabis is entitled to an once of cannabis or if they want to grow it, can be given two mature cannabis and four immature once and if found with more than that, will face up to 3 months with a $500. Some can be given up to 2 years imprisonment with $2,000 fine.
The law still stated that if an underage person is given cannabis, the person faces up to two years imprisonment with $2,000 fine and it increases if the usage causes death or injury on the underage person, it might lead up to five years with $10,000 fine.
In spite of these laws, cannabis is still illegal in the United States of America under federal laws. Since the medical marijuana has been legalized for all medical patients, it is not a crime for more than an ounce of marijuana to be found on a medical patient or caregiver who is registered to carry or grow it. But it has to be grown or cultivated in an indoor facility.
So, it has been established that the only people who can buy marijuana in Vermont are registered medical marijuana patients even though entrepreneurs have been eager to explore and harness the cannabis and expose to the world, the benefits of it. This has made it difficult for business entrepreneurs who wants to grow cannabis and thus, inhibits the growth of the cannabis industry.
In a statement praising Mr Scott’s signature, the pro-legalisation Drug Policy alliance urged other states to follow Vermont’s lead and refuse to be cowed by federal pressure.
“Vermont is standing up to the regressive, harmful policies coming out of Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department,” Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, the organisation’s executive director, said in a statement. “Other states and policymakers should follow suit, and keep pressing for marijuana reforms that are supported by a vast majority of the public”.
