:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin :weedspin
This state is looking to its legislators to legalize recreational marijuana, as well as enact a number of new marijuana initiatives that could become a model for others states to follow.
The marijuana movement has been practically unstoppable for two decades now. Since 1996, nearly two dozen states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and four states (along with Washington D.C.) now allow adults over the age of 21 to purchase marijuana for recreational purposes in licensed dispensaries. The thought of this would have been nothing short of laughable even as recently as a decade ago.
Access to medical marijuana means new potential treatment pathways for patients with glaucoma and certain types of terminal cancers. For states legalizing retail marijuana, it means added revenue that’s primarily being used to fund education, bolster law enforcement, and go toward drug awareness programs.
This state is blazing its own trail
But 2016 is looking as if it’ll be marijuana’s most important year yet. Recreational marijuana initiatives could find their way onto as many as a dozen state ballots, with Nevada being the first state already confirmed to have an initiative on its November ballot. However, one state appears ready to blaze its own trail when it comes to legalizing recreational marijuana.
According to a recent article from The Washington Post, Vermont is angling to become the first state to legalize recreational marijuana without putting it to vote on a ballot initiative or referendum. In other words, Vermont’s Governor, Peter Shumlin (D), could be looking for legislators within the state to legalize recreational marijuana without voters having their say.
The move shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, since Vermont decriminalized marijuana in 2013. Decriminalizing marijuana doesn’t mean smoking or possessing marijuana is legal — law enforcement can still fine adults over age 21 caught in possession of marijuana and seize the drug, as well as arrest those with excessive amounts of marijuana or persons under the age of 21 caught in possession of the drug. However, decriminalization is typically viewed as the telltale step prior to a recreational marijuana initiative.
Vermont’s pathway to legalization could become a model for other states
However, some of the key requirements that Shumlin wants to outline in any passed marijuana laws are unique.
For example, recreational legalization in Vermont wouldn’t include marijuana edibles. The concern with marijuana edibles is that they’re incredibly difficult to regulate. It’s tough to ensure the quality and content of THC in edibles remains consistent, it’s difficult for law enforcement officers to do their job if they can’t tell what foods do and do not contain marijuana, and it’s much easier for edibles to fall into the hands of adolescents. Another of Shumlin’s key points is that recreational marijuana laws need to be designed to keep adolescents from purchasing marijuana.
:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin :weedspin
click The link below for the full story!