Cannabis Regulatory Update: Vermont Gov. Strikes Down Drug Decriminalization Efforts, Missourians Want Cannabis Legalized & More

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott Strikes Down Drug Decriminalization Efforts, Vetoes Bill To Set Personal Use Amounts

A measure that was considered a first step toward decriminalizing drug possession in Vermont was vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Thursday.

The bill, H.505, would have created a Drug Use Standards Advisory Board under the Vermont Sentencing Commission, with a goal to determine a way to legalize personal possession and use of dangerous and highly addictive drugs, such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines, to name a few.

In addition, the measure would have removed the legal distinction between crack and powder cocaine.

The bill "places no limits on which drugs can be contemplated for legalization or the amounts, and while rightly saying we need to view substance abuse as a public health matter – a point where I agree – it includes absolutely no recognition of the often-disastrous health and safety impacts of using drugs," Scott wrote in a veto statement.

Kansas Democrats Push For Cannabis Legalization Ahead Of Session's End

Kansas' legislative session is scheduled to end on Monday. Still, lawmakers are making a final push for the GOP-led legislature to legalize cannabis and avoid starting the process of medical marijuana legalization once again in 2023.

"Kansans continue to demand access to medical marijuana," Tom Sawyer (D), House Minority Leader, said in a press release last week. "The conference committee on medical marijuana needs to respond; the House is ready to meet and waiting on the Senate's cooperation. Unless this happens on Monday, May 23, the process will restart in the next biennium. Legislators are accountable to constituents, and they have made it clear: Legalize medical marijuana. It's time to listen."

The Kansas House recently appointed key lawmakers from both chambers to a conference committee that will design the details for a medical marijuana legalization measure - Senate Bill 12. Cannabis advocates called the move a clear sign that reform is inevitable and can be expected soon.

Missourians Want To See Cannabis Legalized

A majority of Missourians (62%) want to see marijuana legalized, the newly released SurveyUSA poll showed.

Democrats and independents led the way in favoring the policy chance. Interestingly, nearly half of polled Republicans (49%) support cannabis legalization, while 38% oppose it.

The survey was conducted between May 11 and May 15 on behalf of TV stations across the Show-Me State. The poll asked a total of 2,175 Missouri adults on several policy issues, such as law enforcement and public schools.

In the meantime, Campaign Legal Missouri 2022 announced earlier this month that it has gathered more than 325,000 signatures to put the marijuana legalization question before voters on the November ballot.

The deadline for submitting the signatures was Sunday, and the activists collected more, doubling the number of signatures required to qualify the cannabis legalization initiative for ballot in the fall.

North Dakota Collects Signatures To Put Recreational Marijuana On 2022 Ballot

North Dakota officials have green-lighted the formatting of a petition for a proposed ballot measure to legalize marijuana in the state in April.

New Approach North Dakota advocates now have until July 11 to collect 15,582 voter signatures to put the measure on the November 2022 ballot, reported Your News Leader.

"It's going good. We have internal metrics and quotas we manage, and we are at or above all of our metrics," said New Approach North Dakota campaign manager David Owen.

The initiative would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to three plants for personal use.

In the meantime, recreational cannabis was already put before North Dakotans in 2018. The voters rejected that initiative.

"So, the biggest difference between now and 2018, and that's the one I want to talk about because that's the one people are familiar with, is this is restricted, regulated, controlled, legal marijuana," said Owen said. "This is a marijuana program that is very, very similar."

Photo: Courtesy of Esteban Lopez on Unsplash