With Legislative Session Approaching, Broad Statewide Coalition Forms to Support Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol in Vermont
Local advocates and organization leaders will hold a news conference in the Vermont State House at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday — the day before the general assembly convenes — to launch the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana
MONTPELIER — With the Vermont General Assembly set to convene this week, a group of citizens, organizations, and businesses from around the state is officially launching a coalition to support legislation that would end marijuana prohibition in Vermont and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.
State lawmakers are expected to consider such a proposal this year. They are scheduled to receive a report next week from researchers at the Rand Corporation, who were commissioned to investigate the potential effects of making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it in Vermont.
A group of local advocates, organization leaders, and business owners will launch the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana at a news conference at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday — one day before the start of this year’s legislative session — at the Cedar Creek Room of the Vermont State House. Among the coalition members attending the news conference will be Suzi Wizowaty, executive director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform; Allen Gilbert, executive director of the ACLU of Vermont; Matt Simon, New England Political Director of the Marijuana Policy Project; Joseph McSherry, M.D.,Ph.D., a Burlington-based clinical neurophysiologist; and Fran Janik, a Jamaica (Vt.)-based photographer and medical marijuana patient. A full list of current coalition members is available at http://www.RegulateVermont.org/coalition.
A strong majority (57%) of Vermonters support making marijuana legal for adults, taxing it, and regulating it similarly to alcohol, according to a Castleton Polling Institute survey released in May. The results are available at http://www.mpp.org/VTpoll.
“Vermonters are ready to end marijuana prohibition and replace it with a more sensible system,” Matt Simon said. “Regulating marijuana will take sales out of the underground market and allow for it to be controlled like other products that are legal for adults. Along with improving public safety, it will generate significant new tax revenue and create good jobs for our communities.”
WHEN: Tuesday, January 6, 11 a.m. ET
WHERE: Cedar Creek Room, Vermont State House, 115 State St., Montpelier
WHAT: News conference to launch the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, a broad statewide coalition of local citizens, organizations, and businesses in support of ending marijuana prohibition in Vermont
WHO: Suzi Wizowaty, executive director, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform
Allen Gilbert, executive director, ACLU of Vermont
Matt Simon, New England political director, Marijuana Policy Project
Joseph McSherry, M.D.,Ph.D., clinical neurophysiologist
Fran Janik, photographer, medical marijuana patient, and advocate
Other coalition members
So, maybe the sale of marijuana could provide a revenue stream for single payer?
-Maus
When and where?
Maus, when was the article published and in what newspaper?
And, yes, the extent of the revenue stream from adult consumers of marijuana will likely surprise a lot of people.
To pay for single-payer all by itself? That is unknown, but unlikely. Taxes and spendable incomes pays for many things.
This just in...
It is a press release that was sent out today, so I don’t know that any newspaper has published it yet – which makes it an iBrattleboro exclusive as far as I know 😉
And no, pot taxes won’t raise $2.5 billion per year. But maybe it could close the affordability gap.
I hadn't seen it either
Then this group is woefully remiss for giving very little notice. What the hell was the point of that?!
Thanks much for the “exclusive.”
Yes, with the infamous loss of Yankee income, we will need every penny this state can get.
As to Cris’ comment below, marijuana is an adult choice issue…and money has always been tied to marijuana.
I also want to state that I do not believe in or support ‘single-issue’ political parties. Politics is a hydra and most people rarely support single-issue parties. It’s one of the reasons The Workers Party and others don’t fare well because they are too narrow.
Too many people get a single-issue cause and intent confused with what a political party should be. Marijuana is an ‘issue’, not a political party.
Marijuana Legalization is for Personal Adult Freedom, Not Money!
Please join Vermont Marijuana Party on facebook groups at
http://tinyurl.com/vmp2016 and learn what we are up to at
http://indyvt.com Thank you!
In the State of Vermont, new minor political parties are allowed to be
formed in odd numbered years. In 2015 we will form a new minor
poitical party, the Vermont Marijuana Party.
We need about 10 people
in about 30 towns in 7 out of 14 counties to get organized, and these party
officers for each town and county, including treasurer, chairperson, secretary,
have to be willing to file their name and address with the VT Sec. of State
and hold public meetings, which can be done on public access t.v.
so we can get certified with the Vermont Sec. of State Elections
Division.
Then we can collect out-of-state donations from wealthy sports
figures, musicians and actors who have been arrested for marijuana and who
will want to give us donations to run candidates for President and
Vice President of the United States on the 2016 Official Election Ballot
in Vermont.
Candidates for President and Vice President can be USA citizens
born in the USA from any state, and all other statewide candidates must have
an (802) telephone area code.
http://indyvt.com Vermont Marijuana Party
http://tinyurl.com/vmp2016 Vermont Marijuana Party group on facebook
To help get the new minor political party started, you need to fullly understand
the Vermont laws you can read about at http://indyvt.com
and then proceed
to act as “acting chairperson” of your town or county committee, and have
your friends take the initiative to be the “acting secretary” and go on public
access television in your area with a whole bunch of your friends and read
the laws for party formation found at http://indyvt.com
on your public access t.v. show
and state that until the party has enough towns and counties, you are
taking the roles of “acting” committee members,
and when there are
enough “acting” members,
the voting can actually be held after notices
are given in statewide newspapers,
and then if you aren’t voted in as a
political party officer, such as “chairman” or “secretary” or “treasurer” then
you can run as a political candidate for statewide office in 2016.
So, the first thing you need to do is get a bunch of friends together and go
on public access t.v.
and state your intentions
and have all your friends talk about why marijuana should be legal,
and ask some local bands to perform during your public access t.v. show
so the audience doesn’t get too bored when you read the Vermont law
about new minor political party formation at http://indyvt.com
Also, remember, if you are going to be 18 and ready to vote by November 2016,
then you can help get the party started now!
You want your own poliltical party by the time you graduate high school?
Get started now!
Doing Vermont Marijuana Party shows at least once a month on public access
television will teach you great leadership skills!
The number one leader in the United States of America is the President,
and you will learn the leadership skills you need to get started being a leader
and community organizer
by starting a new minor political party in Vermont.
Also, remember to read all the current news on marijuana arrests
during your public access television show.
For example, you could start your Vermont Marijuana Party show by
(1) stating that you are the acting chairperson for your Town or County,
(2) then read some or all of the rules for starting a new minor political party
found at http://indyvt.com
(3) then have some music by local musicians so the audience doesn’t
get too bored, and
(4) then read the news off the internet, all the musicians, actors and sports figures
who have been busted recently for marijuana,
(5) then have a talk session with all your friends about making marijuana legal.
Try to make your show as interesting and creative as possible,
add special effects, wear costumes, anything goes on public access t.v.!
Now, every time you do a Vermont Marijuana Party show on public access t.v.
then you need to send a DVD copy to:
Cris Ericson, 879 Church Street,
Chester, Vermont 05143-9375
(802)875-4038
crisericson@yahoo.com
so she can compile these for
the Vermont Secretary of State Elections Division when she goes up there
to Montpelier to get the party certified so we can start collecting donations
to the party to pay for the candidates campaigns in 2016.
Also, be certain to get a link from the public access t.v. station for the video,
so a list of all videos of the Vermont Marijuana Party groups all across
Vermont can be listed at http://indyvt.com
Remember, we need about 10 people in 30 towns, in at least 7 out of 14 counties,
so we need you all to get started making your own Vermont Marijuana Party
show on public access t.v. and get your friends together, and keep doing
shows at least once a month and submitting the pubic access t.v. links
to crisericson@yahoo.com or if the public access t.v. station in your area
does not streamline the videos, then put a copy on youtube.com and
send the link to Cris Ericson to put on http://indyvt.com
Get ready, get set, and go! It is time to get started!
Would help with the local budget
It could also help pay for police and fire facilities, trash collection, libraries and other threatened local species.
I’d like to see our town reps attend and advocate strongly for this tax revenue.
Where is the Selectboard-appointed task force to go after this potentially large amount of money?
Will we debate an unpopular and oft-defeated 1% local option tax again, or work for this much larger pile of potential income that could also lead to jobs, business, etc.?
State tax
I suppose if Brattleboro enacted a 1% local option tax on sales, the town could collect 1% on the regulated sale of marijuana and use it any way they like. But the state certainly isn’t going to relinquish control over the taxation and regulation of marijuana to municipalities. And given the discussions around tax revenue that have occurred in Legislature over the last several sessions, I would not hold out any hope that they’ll decide to use any new found windfall to subsidize municipal property taxes or municipal capital projects.
A split
Other states create a new, different local option tax for marijuana – the total tax comes to 25-30% in some places, split between state and local. Forget 1% – we could aim for 10-12%. of high priced items.
We could do that here if our reps advocate for it.
Other states
It won’t happen in our Legislature, which has been looking for new revenue for the last decade and a half. They will not hand over control of a significant portion of that revenue, and in a home rule state in which citizens have no right to referendum, that’s the only way it could happen. The Legislative power in the state lies well north of Windham County, and they would prefer to see that revenue flow north, where they can dole it out based on their own criteria. I would refer you to Act 60/68.
Wet Blanket
Are you saying that the political people who run the state up in Montpelier would try to keep all the money for their own pet projects? Scandalous…