By Rob Williams
As a steering committee member of the Vermont Cannabis Collaborative (VTCC), I urge my fellow Vermonters to look closely at the question of cannabis legalization in Vermont this legislative session. Vermont is poised to be the first state in the U.S. to legalize cannabis via legislative action which gives us Vermonters a significant measure of control over the way in which we legalize. Our Mad River Valley representatives, Adam Greshin (
Here’s why cannabis legalization makes good sense. Most Vermonters agree that the decades-long federal prohibition of cannabis is a failure. Most Vermonters agree that incarcerating our fellow citizens for nonviolent cannabis possession is unjust. Most Vermonters agree that it makes logical sense to work together to transform an already-existing $185 million illicit underground cannabis economy that profits only a few Vermont “criminals” (many of whom are our neighbors and colleagues) into a legal, regulated and taxed industry that will provide new agri-preneurial options for our farmers, new jobs in a variety of ancillary industries for our Vermont neighbors, new tourist options for the millions of visitors to Vermont every year from Canada and surrounding states and much-needed tax revenue that can be reinvested in education, prevention, treatment and other social programs right here in Vermont.
How we know this? The Vermont Cannabis Collaborative (VTCC) has spent this past year in active conversation with Vermonters all over the state re: the opportunities and concerns surrounding legalization. Building on the good work provided by the state of Vermont-commissioned RAND report on cannabis legalization, VTCC has researched a wide variety of options for legalization in active dialogue with experts from Colorado, Washington and other places who have already legalized cannabis to learn from their experiences. We have gathered together our best thinking and recommendations in our newly published report titled “What Cannabis Can Do for Vermont,” available for free download at our website, www.vtcannabiscollaborative.org.
All of us Vermonters involved with VTCC – business people, educators, public health advocates, parents, and citizens alike – are firmly convinced that a thoughtful three-pronged approach to cannabis legalization in Vermont – legislation, regulation and collaboration – in conjunction with our Vermont values makes good sense for Vermont moving forward. We urge all Vermonters to download and read our VTCC recommendations and talk with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues about cannabis legalization in a mature, thoughtful and forward-thinking way.
Most importantly, I urge all fellow Valleyites who care about this issue to get involved by contacting Benjamin Brown (
Let’s make 2016 the year that we legalize cannabis – the Vermont way.
Williams lives in Waitsfield.
