MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont cannabis farmers and retailers say state lawmakers need to take more steps to allow for Vermont’s budding pot marketplace to bloom.
A group of farmers, processors, and retailers visited the Statehouse Thursday calling on legislators to loosen regulations including on advertising and THC caps.
They say allowing for new ways for people to consume, including special permits for weddings, concerts, and other permitted venues. They say regulations on who can work are holding the industry back.
Cannabis farmer and former Orleans County Senator John Rodgers says it’s difficult to hire and certify enough people to harvest cannabis in the fall. “We would like our employees in the outdoor grow to be treated as any other agricultural product. I don’t understand how a plant growing in dirt under the sun isn’t agriculture,” he said.
Lawmakers are considering a separate proposal this year that would create a state-run testing facility for cannabis.
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