Vermont made history last night by becoming the first state in the US to legalize recreational cannabis use and cultivation for adults 21 and over by legislature rather than the traditional ballot method. The vote came in at 81 to 63 and legal weed will go into effect in July.
The vote took place mere hours after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo—an Obama-era policy that kept the Feds out of state-compliant grows and pot shops.
Happily, it’s onward and upward for Vermont. Even with Republicans trying to delay the vote to the 15th to further discuss youth usage and drugged driving, VT lawmakers carried on, according to The Burlington Free Press.
Vermont will soon be the ninth state to have legalized recreational marijuana for adult use, once the State Senate approves the measure. Last night Vermont listened to their constituents rather than a madman out for his pound of flesh and they are to be praised, as pointed out by Marijuana Policy Project:
“We applaud lawmakers for heeding the calls of their constituents and taking this important step toward treating marijuana more like alcohol,” said Matt Simon, New England policy director for MPP.
New Jersey is poised to be the next state to legalize recreational cannabis via legislature with Phil Murphy ready to take the governor’s office. After years of Chris Christie doing everything he could to complicate the state’s medical program, it will be beyond a breath of fresh air for the Garden State.
And though the implications of Sessions’ actions against cannabis are reprehensible, it’s important to stay steady as she goes, as demonstrated so beautifully by the state of Vermont.
