House declines last-minute amendment, concurs with Senate changes to cannabis law

The House considered Senate amendments to House Bill 612, an act relating to miscellaneous cannabis amendments, and rejected a last-minute member proposal to reinstate a restriction on advertising that would bar prize giveaways tied to purchases.

Member from Vergennes, presenting the Senate proposal of amendment, said the package moves hemp-derived product regulation into another bill, adds a new advertising provision (7 V.S.A. §864), and removes one prohibition on offering a prize or inducement for purchasing cannabis, allowing retail establishments to offer items such as T-shirts and hats subject to Cannabis Control Board vetting. “This is, 7 VSA 864 and covers advertising,” the Member from Vergennes said, summarizing the new advertising framework.

Member from Northfield moved a further amendment to restore the prohibition on prize giveaways, arguing the change was a last-minute industry-driven rollback that undercut the House’s prior aim to limit advertising. “Plucking out this 1 makes no sense and is contrary to everything this house has stood for in the past regarding advertising,” the Member from Northfield said, urging the chamber to leave the existing statutory language in place.

Member from Bergens, defending the Senate change and committee recommendation, said any merchant giveaways would be subject to existing vetting and regulatory review and characterized the items at issue as “merchant swag” such as shirts and hats. “So it is a heavily vetted process,” the Member from Bergens said, noting the study the legislature has commissioned to review advertising rules more broadly.

Members debated both the merits of the advertising change and the timing of the amendment. Supporters of keeping the Senate change said the broader bill includes many provisions that warrant timely passage, while opponents said last-minute edits should not set substantive policy without fuller consideration.

The House took a roll-call vote on the Northfield further amendment; the clerk announced the tally as 56 in favor and 85 opposed, and the amendment failed. The House then voted by voice to concur in the Senate proposal of amendment on H.612 and the presiding officer announced the ayes had it.

Key provisions discussed include: removal of section 2 (moved into a separate agriculture-related bill); addition of 7 V.S.A. §864 governing advertising; a medical-use endorsement section that restores an in-person provider consultation requirement within three months for medical patients under age 21; a required Cannabis Control Board report, in consultation with the Vermont Department of Health and stakeholders, on the medical cannabis industry and recommendations on device regulation (report due Nov. 15, 2024); clarifications on seasonal use of farm buildings for licensed cultivators; and changes to cultivation-district setback options (outside-district setback reduced from 100 to 50 feet, inside-district setback 25 feet).

The House’s action leaves the Senate’s proposed amendments in place and moves the bill onward to the next step in the legislative process.