MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont cannabis company is suing the state over what they claim are free speech violations.
Flora Cannabis in Middlebury on Wednesday announced the legal action against the Vermont Cannabis Control Board. They say the state is violating the Constitution by pre-approving statements and banning companies from posting pictures of products on social media, harming statewide sales.
“Vermont’s licensed cannabis industry supports reasonable advertising regulations, including targeted regulations to prevent advertising that is especially appealing to underage consumers, or making false or misleading statements,” Flora co-founder Dave Silberman said in a statement. ”Instead of narrowly tailoring its advertising regulations towards preventing these harms, the State intentionally drafted the nation’s most wide-ranging and onerous prohibition on protected speech, illegally muzzling the cannabis industry and preventing us from being able to effectively communicate with adult customers. This lawsuit is filed reluctantly, and only after years of failed attempts to reason with legislators and regulators to find a workable compromise, and to treat us in the same manner as the state treats other “regulated vice” industries such as sports wagering and alcohol.”
Reporter Ike Bendavid will have more on the lawsuit and reaction from regulators on the Channel 3 News tonight.
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