The Governor of Vermont, Phil Scott, recently vetoed legislation to legalize cannabis within the state. He stated that he was not philosophically opposed to the idea of legalization. However, he wanted to see increased penalties for selling to minors, driving while under the influence of cannabis, and an increased commitment to develop taxes and regulations. These themes, along with product safety, are part and parcel to discussions in all states that have legalized cannabis; whether medical or adult use. These issues will continue until the public is comfortable with how cannabis products are handled, consumers are protected, and the public safety is reasonably assured.
Currently 29 States, and D.C., have medical cannabis laws on their books. Additionally, 16 states have laws specific to CBD use and 12 states have pending medical cannabis laws (as of April 2017) starting with California. In 1996, you can clearly see the evolution of how legislation is worded to continue to address ongoing safety concerns. For example, California’s Prop 215 basically only addressed two issues; who can and cannot possess cannabis and for what specific reason. However, two years later Alaska passed their medical cannabis laws addressing those topics and much more specific questions- like how much one can possess or grow. Obviously, these additional topics came from the lessons learned by California. By the time we see Ohio pass their medical cannabis laws topics such as cannabis oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles, and even transdermal patches are being addressed. As we watch states like Kentucky, Oklahoma and Wisconsin battle to roll out their pending laws. We see that seed to sale control and end to end supply chains are now being addressed; to prevent the back market from continuing to flourish as well as ill people from being exposed to medicine with contaminants on it.
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