Tag Archives: Vermont

Marijuana Legislation Defeated in Multiple States

Last week a House bill to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol was soundly defeated in the state of New Hampshire.  Opponents questioned the wisdom of making another addictive drug legal during a time of drug overdoses and deaths.

The New Mexico legislature also killed a marijuana legalization measure on February 14.

Last week in Wyoming, a bill to decriminalize marijuana was soundly defeated.    It was the third year in a row that marijuana advocates tried to to pass a decriminalization bill which would have lessened the fine for pot possession.

Furthermore, an attempt get legalization of recreational use marijuana on the Wyoming ballot  failed.   “The group fell far short of the roughly 25,600 signatures from registered voters needed to get on November’s ballot.”   The Wyoming Senate Judiciary panel issued a favorable recommendation for a bill to make marijuana edibles illegal.  (Levi Thamba Pongi , a foreign exchange student at college in Wyoming, became psychotic and committed suicide after eating a marijuana cookie in Colorado in March, 2014.)

In Montana, a petition to put legalization of recreational marijuana on the November ballot is counterbalanced by the Safe Montana petition to keep recreational marijuana illegal.

Marijuana lobbyists and policy groups are making strong efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana in western and northeastern states.  Vermont, a bill to legalize marijuana has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.

Vermont gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman issued a statement critical of the governor and legislature for acting too quickly.  Six Vermont physician groups come out in opposition to legalizing marijuana for recreational use in their state.  The state’s health department wrote a scathing attack against legalization.

An state considering legalization needs to recognized the continuous onslaught of problems in the schools of Colorado.  Last week, 9 students were negatively affected by marijuana edibles that had gotten into a Colorado High School. ( Maine, the state next to New Hampshire had already rejected a bill to legalize marijuana by a vote of 2 to 1, last summer. )

If Justin Trudeau pushes the legalization effort in Canada, he will into trouble with international treaties, and possibly in the province government of Quebec.  The Finance Minister of Quebec warned that it will be hard to push them to sell marijuana.

Governor Shumlin’s Address Has Key Misunderstandings

by Randy Philbrick, Smart Approaches to Marijuana Oregon, originally published on the website.    Gov. Shumlin’s State of the State address was January 7, 2016.  This story is unrelated to our previous critique of the Vermont state legislature.

Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont gave a very good State of the State speech. He talked about how he plans to help create more jobs, help bring Vermont a greener environment and get more kids to college. Then his speech took a dramatic turn down a very steep embankment to its death.

Governor Shumlin addressed the opiate addiction problem as all other states are having. He said that we need to fix this problem, as we should.  His speech was good and then…..BAM, Marijuana legalization. The Governor talked about Continue reading Governor Shumlin’s Address Has Key Misunderstandings

Vermont Legislators Ignore the Evidence About Marijuana

Vermont legislators are expected to take up legislation to legalize pot this month, but they should examine the evidence and stop looking at dollar signs.  Marijuana causes car accidents and is known as a trigger for mental health problems and psychosis.

On August 7,  2015, Jody Herring of Barre killed four people.   It was the worst recent case of violence in our nation’s second least populous state.  Herring had mental health issues and a drug problem,  with marijuana the substance most evident in her history.  (Lancet Psychiatry Journal published February 16 2015 study  that 1/4 of incidences of first-time psychosis in London over 6 years were triggered by  marijuana use. Herring had been using for a long time.)

At least 3 others who died in Vermont this past year — Richard Tom, Joseph Marshall, Lance Magoon — were in crashes involving stoned drivers.   In 2014, one third of all traffic fatalities Continue reading Vermont Legislators Ignore the Evidence About Marijuana

Can Stoner Parents be Good Parents? Keep Custody?

Are the older children of stoner parents in danger of abuse and neglect like the younger ones?  Last year in Minnesota, a nine-year-old girl walked to the police station and told police about her parents who were growing, smoking and selling marijuana. She said the smell of the smoke was making her sick.

In Tennessee, a 15-year-old boy lived in fear of violent father. He confided in a friend’s family that he was afraid to go home. The friend’s mom told police, who went to investigate child abuse. They accidentally found a whole lot more, discovering a huge, indoor marijuana grow. Marijuana activists claim that stoners are calm and non-violent. The evidence suggests otherwise. Continue reading Can Stoner Parents be Good Parents? Keep Custody?