By Tom Angell
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin used his annual State of the State speech on Thursday to call on lawmakers to pass legislation legalizing and regulating marijuana.
“I will work with you to craft the right bill that thoughtfully and carefully eliminates the era of prohibition that is currently failing us so miserably,” Shumlin told legislators. “I believe we have the capacity to take this next step and get marijuana legalization done right the Vermont way. Let’s do it together.”
The state is seen by national legalization advocates as likely to be the first to end prohibition by an act of the legislature as opposed to through a citizen ballot initiative.
The speaker of Vermont’s House of Representatives, Shap Smith, said in September that he supports bringing a legalization bill to the floor in 2016. Senate leadership has been more publicly guarded, but Shumlin, in his speech, indicated that the chamber’s leaders are now prepared to move a bill.
This isn’t the first time that Shumlin, a Democrat, has endorsed ending cannabis prohibition. But by devoting a chunk of his State of the State speech to the issue, the governor signaled that getting a bill to his desk before he leaves office early next year is a priority.
