Brent Addleman – The Center Square
Vermont’s legal cannabis market opens Saturday.
Just one month after issuing the first licenses for adult-use cannabis sales, adults age 21 and over will be able to purchase up to 1 ounce of marijuana or 8,400 milligrams of THC-infused products.
Retail sales will be taxed at 20%, as previously reported by The Center Square, which features a 14% excise tax on top of the state’s 6% sales tax.
At its Sept. 14 meeting, the Cannabis Control Board approved retail licenses for Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland and FLORA Cannabis in Middlebury, and integrated licenses for Champion Valley Dispensary Inc., CeresMED, and Ceres (Burlington). The integrated licenses awarded allow the retailer to sell medical and adult-use marijuana.
“Today’s license approvals mark a historic moment for Vermont that is decades in the making,” James Pepper, chair of the Vermont Cannabis Control Board, said in a release. “We would not be here without the tireless dedication of cannabis advocates, the legislature, our agency partners, and most importantly the CCB staff.”
Vermont, in 2018, legalized possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults ages 21 and over, but the legalization and regulation of sales didn’t come about until Oct. 7, 2020, as Gov. Phil Scott allowed Senate Bill 54 to become law without his signature.
Vermont then became the 11th state to regulate sales of adult-use cannabis and just the second state to legalize cannabis without a voter referendum.
Once sales open in Vermont, 15 states across the country will have a legal cannabis marketplace for adults.