ROCKINGHAM — Thank you to Mia Feroleto for this thoughtful, well-written, and persuasive essay. Many share her frustration with the Legislature's failure to support cannabis cultivation.
With leadership by Jeanette White, Windham County's delegation has voted in favor of the bills. However, fearmongers have convinced the majority of other legislators that Vermont isn't “ready” for legalized cultivation.
Perhaps they judge their fellow Vermonters to be less responsible than folks in Alaska, Colorado, Washington state, and Washington, D.C. Though there have been a few bumps, the sky has not fallen in those jurisdictions.
The piece correctly notes that no public-safety issues would change should registered and tax-paying local growers provide the cannabis that now comes from illegal or out-of-state sources. And think of the job growth and business opportunities that would result from legalization - to say nothing of tax revenue.
I wish I could share her optimism about the future of this issue, but I fear that Vermont's legislature has lost the courage and creativity it demonstrated back when we pioneered civil unions.