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Like it or not, starting July 1st people in Vermont will be able to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

The Vermont House of Representatives has rejected two attempts to slow marijuana legalization, first by refusing to delay a vote and then by rejecting an amendment that would have delayed legalization to July 2019.

House Bill 170 would legalize possession of up to two ounces of marijuana by adults 21 or older, who would be able to grow limited amounts of cannabis at home.

Previously, there was no official mechanism for Vermont's hemp growers to have their product tested, though many industrial growers have labs to test their crop or have it sent to third-party labs for testing.

In his final days as the state's top executive, outgoing Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin is expected to issue what could be hundreds of pardons to Vermonters convicted of what are now considered minor marijuana violations.

Over the past two years a number of new marijuana-related businesses have registered in Vermont.

Election Day ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts and Maine could light a fire under Vermont lawmakers.

In other countries in Europe and Canada, industrial hemp is a huge cash crop.

MONTPELIER, Vt. —The Vermont House has voted overwhelmingly against a Senate-passed plan to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana.

Liberal-leaning Vermont could become the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana use through legislation, rather than by voter initiative, in a move that advocates for the drug say could speed its acceptance across the nation.

The Vermont Senate voted 16-13 Wednesday for a bill that would legalize the sale and possession of marijuana in 2018.

Advocates to legalize marijuana in Vermont are ramping up the pressure on the Legislature today by announcing an old fashioned marketing campaign.

The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee, which is weighing whether to legalize and regulate the sale of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, is hearing from the public on the issue this week.

A group of Vermont Senators are skipping the debate over whether to legalize marijuana and heading straight to the debate over how.

Lawmakers have a number of scheduled meetings before the legislature returns in January to discuss legalization.
     

While there may be growing consensus in favor of legalization, even proponents don't agree on how that should be done.

Lawmakers met Tuesday to discuss what could the stickiest social issue of the legislative session set to resume in January: recreational marijuana legalization.
     
Government Operations Committee Chairwoman Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham County, hopes to crowdsource the best regulatory ideas to streamline debate later.

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