Publisher’s Note: Vermont Independent has championed a legalized, regulated, taxed hemp and cannabis economy in the Green Mountains for several years now.

Highlights:

1-Watch our recent Plan V-TV Episode 24 exploring legalizing cannabis here in the once and future Vermont republic with Heady Vermont co-founder Eli Harrington.

2-Read the Vermont commissioned RAND REPORT on Vermont legalization.

3-Read Vermont Independent‘s Top 10 reasons why Vermont should legalize cannabis.

4-And don’t miss VTCC/Vermont Cannabis Collaborative’s blueprint for how to create a legalized, regulated, taxed cannabis economy for Vermont.

And looking ahead to 2018–>

MONTPELIER, Vt. — To kick off the 2018 legislative session, Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman and a coalition of cannabis reform advocacy groups, medical marijuana patients and caregivers, farmers and local business representatives are gathering in the State House on Tuesday, January 9 for a full day of press, advocacy and education.

The goal of this event, according to the organizers, is to further inform lawmakers and the public on the importance of timely cannabis reform in Vermont. This includes: reducing youth access, bringing greater social and racial justice to our laws; improving highway safety, as a medical treatment alternative to opiates; and the economic opportunities presently being realized for locally-grown hemp and expanding our tourism sector.

“Evidence shows that timely, complete, cannabis reform will put us on track to achieve the many goals we have in common. Reduced youth access, overall highway safety improvement, better treatment access for those with addiction problems, and above board well-paying jobs in our rural areas are all possible in a well-regulated system,” stated Lt. Gov. Zuckerman

The day kicks off at 10:00 a.m. with an advocacy workshop, in which members of the public are welcome to join cannabis reform lobbyists to discuss talking points, best practices for speaking with elected representatives, and some general pointers for navigating the state house and the lobbying process.

At noon, there will be a full press conference in the Cedar Creek Room on the second floor, which will feature Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, other elected representatives and advocates from the coalition.

Following the press conference, for the remainder of lunch and throughout the afternoon members of the public will meet with their own Representatives and Senators to speak with him/her/them directly about the issue of cannabis reform.

The last part of the day is the Cannabis in the Capitol Education Fair, taking place in the State House Cafeteria from 4 to 7 p.m. The fair will feature 20 different display tables and will be open to the public. Due to the location and nature of this event, there are no product sales allowed, only samples for demonstration purposes and any physical marketing materials that vendors might have to share. The tables at the Education Fair will include a mix of advocacy groups, medical dispensaries, hemp farms, and CBD product producers, and will be free for all participating.

See the Facebook event.

Contact:
Eli Harrington
eli@headyvermont.com
802-424-7642