By Guy Page
A cannabis bill that opponents say creates a dangerous loophole for teens 18 and over is scheduled for a vote on the House floor this morning.
H.612 would allow recreational stores to sell high THC concentrates to Vermont teens 18 and over with a medical marijuana card. Under Vermont Medical Marijuana Law and Rules, Vermont teens 18 and over can get med cards from an online doctor in NYC who is paid per card and is not required to review med records or notify parents or the teen’s doctor back home, according to a statement by Physicans for Healthy Communities.
There is no effective limit on the amount of THC marijuana concentrate a teen with a med card can buy each day in Vermont, PHC said. In Colorado this type of access resulted in an increase in black market THC in Colorado high schools. Teens were harmed by cannabis addiction, cannabis induced psychosis, suicidality, and mental illnesses requiring hospitalization. The law was changed after legislators’ children were harmed by excessive use of THC concentrates.
The House convenes at 10 AM and H.612 is the first bill on the agenda. Concerned Vermonters may contact lawmakers by calling the Sgt. at Arms office at 828-2228.
Make government more accountable to the Legislature? – The rest of State government doesn’t always do what the laws passed by the Legislature tell it to do. This irks legislative leadership. Last summer, a Summer Government Accountability Committee met to determine when and how this failure has happened, and what to do about it.
This morning, the House will consider giving final approval to H.702, a bill to implement the recommendations of the Summer Government Accountability Committee, which aim to systematize the General Assembly’s government accountability efforts as much as possible rather than relying upon individual legislators or individual committees.” An amendment to be offered by Reps. Brian Cina (P-Burlington) and Anne Donahue (R-Northfield) would direct the committee to “consider issues of significant public concern referred to the Committee pursuant to a resolution adopted by either chamber of the General Assembly.”
The summer government accountability committee found that, for example, some flood control practices required by law weren’t followed prior to last July’s flooding. Although the breach of practice didn’t result in an actual breach of a dam, some committee members say other branches of government needed to be reminded, and required, to follow the law as written.
The amendment offered by Donahue and Cina – neither of whom belong to the Democratic majority – would at least require a house resolution before the House acts on any lack of accountability.
Act 250 reform ‘housing’ bill goes to House floor – by far the biggest bill – in terms of both longterm impact and level of interest within the State House (not always the same thing), going to the full House today is H.687, an Act 250 reform bill sold by Speaker Jill Krowinski as leading to more construction of housing.
The full name of H.687, co-sponsored by Reps. Amy Sheldon and Seth Bongartz, is “An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use.” The lengthy bill makes new construction virtually prohibited in wildlife areas ,while exempting from Act 250 review municipalities with rigorous water, sewer, and regulatory infrastructure, closely supervised by the state and regional development authorities, with the review process beginning as soon as 2027.
Its critics say it would actually force communities to wait three years while the State prepares its ‘Tier 1’ housing regulations purporting to give some municipalities the tools to create more housing. Meanwhile a more housing-friendly bill, H.719, has never come off the Environment and Energy Committee wall, despite urging by Gov. Phil Scott and a large tri-partisan group of House members. Gov. Scott issued a statement yesterday, in anticipation of a vote today:
“As we all know, we have a housing crisis in all parts of Vermont, and we desperately need to make it easier, faster, and less expensive to build the housing we urgently need. Yet this week, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that will move us backward by further complicating our regulatory and appeals systems.
“If passed into law, this land use bill will make it harder to build housing units in most parts of the state, which could make our housing crisis permanent in many communities. In fact, 100 members of the House represent towns that will likely never benefit from the Tier 1A designation in the bill.
“H.687 would take four years to implement, doing nothing to address the housing shortage we are facing today. It includes changes that would significantly expand the bureaucracy, inevitably resulting in more delays that make it more expensive to build housing now. It will deepen the disparity between the ‘haves and have-nots’ in our state, especially for rural Vermont, where expanded regulatory requirements will fall on the shoulders of communities with the least capacity.
“I believe rural Vermonters deserve affordable housing as much as those from Burlington and Montpelier. H.687 suggests otherwise and sets the state up for years of inaction, at a time when we need to move swiftly to support the housing needs of all Vermonters.”
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