Act Now: Cannabis Bill, H.321, Defunds Social Equity and CCB Offers “Farmers’ Market” without Direct Sales for Producers
H.321, the miscellaneous cannabis bill, is currently in the Senate Committee on Economic Development. Rural VT and the VT Cannabis Equity Coalition, the Land Access and Opportunity Board, VT NORML, and the Lt. Governor John Rogers have all come to common ground on a list of priorities and suggested statutory language as an amendment to the bill.
Our proposals have the support of membership based organizations collectively representing thousands of VT residents, we have more direct stakeholders of every license type supporting all of our priorities and language than any other proposal, we have more organizations and businesses behind us than any other proposal (more than 70 based on the sign-on to our original proposals), and we have the CCB’s very own surveying of Tier 1 producers and its mandated reports attesting to many of the priorities we have. We understand our priorities and recommended statutory language to objectively have more support and more hands in crafting them than any other proposals that have been put forward.
In contrast, the current bill defunds the Cannabis Business Development Fund ($500,000 annually of social equity funding), whereas we support expanding it to include technical assistance for small products through a program like the VHCB farm viability program, and base funding it at $1 million. In contrast to our proposals for direct sales for producers, the CCB has unilaterally offered a vision for the market, which includes a “cannabis showcase event market” permit which:
is only available to retail licensees (not cultivators and manufacturers)
requires the presence of licensed producers (licensed cultivators and manufacturers), but offers them no direct sales or guarantee of any profit share.
And, though not written into the proposed language, the CCB testified and shared in private conversation that the number of events offered will be extremely limited (5 statewide were discussed), effectively minimizing any positive economic impact, access, and agency for a great number of producers.
We know that small businesses and producers need direct sales in order to have economic viability, agency, and a community of accessible personal and economic relationships between producers and consumers. VT’s cannabis producers are in crisis because of essential regulatory inequities. Retailers and wholesalers are important features of any market, and it is broadly acknowledged in the agricultural economy that grocery retailers have benefited immensely from the various methods of direct sales for producers in our agricultural economy. But small farms and businesses cannot exist exclusively in a commodity market where they are required to go through a limited number of intermediaries who determine what is bought and sold and at what price.
TAKE ACTION!
Contact members of the Senate Committee on Economic Development about H.321, the miscellaneous cannabis bill, and:
Voice your support for the recommendations of Rural VT and this broad coalition; in particular our top 4 goals of funding social equity, direct markets for producers, public consumption, and agricultural status for outdoor producers.
Share your story if you want to
Speak against the CCB’s vision of exclusively a wholesale commodity cannabis market in VT in which producers of the very plants and products the market is formed around must sell their cannabis through intermediaries losing direct access to the consumer, to the profits of their labor and expertise, and to a viable livelihood.
Contact Information for Senators:
Chair, Sen. Alison Clarkson (Windsor District): AClarkson@leg.state.vt.us
Vice Chair, Sen. Randy Brock (Franklin District): rbrock@leg.state.vt.us
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdate (Chittenden South East): kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us
Sen. Thomas Chittenden (Chittenden South East): tchittenden@leg.state.vt.us
Clerk, Sen. David Weeks (Rutland District): dweeks@leg.state.vt.us