Advocacy group says they have been ’shut out’ of cannabis policy changes
- Jason Beck
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Published: Jun. 10, 2025 at 1:57 AM PDT|Updated: 20 hours ago
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Who is benefiting from Vermont’s nascent cannabis industry? A bill on the way to Governor Phil Scott makes small tweaks to regulating sales and licenses, but some grassroots cannabis advocates say they’ve been shut out.
Cannabis has ramped up since it was legalized for sale in Vermont three years ago, with hundreds of licensed growers and dozens of dispensaries across the state. But a group of advocates representing medical cannabis, racial justice, and small growers say they are being shut out of the marketplace and the Statehouse.
“This is really about our five years of advocacy -- including this session -- being the most predominant voices in the room being the most representative coalition out there, and continuing to get nothing,” said Graham Unangst-Rufenacht with Rural Vermont, one of several groups comprising the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition.
The coalition says the current marketplace falls short in righting the wrongs of past criminalization; fails to adequately support medical marijuana; and does not support the financial well-being of small growers, who want to be able to sell directly to consumers at farm stands or farmers markets.
“It’s not like we’re not making money here. The question is, who’s getting paid, who is the market benefiting, and who is it hurting?” said Mark Hughes with the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance.
Related Story:
Lawmakers we spoke with disagree that they aren’t giving the coalition a fair shake at the Statehouse and that there’s a difference between getting shut out versus not getting what they wanted.
James Pepper with the Cannabis Control Board notes that the legal market is young, and while more changes may be needed, they can be hard to obtain politically. “When you start advancing policy initiatives that break that compromise, you start losing the coalition that’s willing to push it through, and that’s what we saw this year,” he said.
The bill that did reach the governor’s desk clarifies cannabis forfeitures and sets new rules for hemp, among other changes. He has until Thursday to act on it.
댓글