Gov. Phil Scott has privately signed Vermont's recreational marijuana bill into law "with mixed emotions."
The Republican governor's office says Scott signed the bill Monday afternoon.
Once it takes effect on July 1, Vermont will become the ninth state in the country, along with Washington, D.C., to approve the recreational use of marijuana. Recreational marijuana went on sale legally in Nevada on July 1, 2017.
Vermont is the first state where the law was approved by the legislature. The other states and Washington authorized their laws through a vote of residents. Vermont has no legal mechanism that allows for a citizen referendum.
The law allows adults to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, two mature and four immature plants.
The bill passed both chambers of the Vermont Legislature this month.
SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), released a statement on Governor Scott's signing of H.511, legalizing the possession and cultivation of marijuana:
"Today, Governor Phil Scott signed H.511 into law, permitting adults over 21 to possess and cultivate marijuana beginning in July of this year. Unlike some reports, this bill will not legalize marijuana sales. While SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) always opposes any legalization measure that will inevitably increase use rate among our youth and make our roads more dangerous, we recognize that since H.511 stops short of legalizing sales, it can be seen as a compromise. We will await the final report from the Governor's Marijuana Commission. After reading the preliminary report released on January 16th, we feel confident that the Departments of Health and Public Safety share our concerns with full legalization, and support the need for a cautious approach. SAM looks forward to continuing to our work in Vermont and collaborating with medical professionals, educators, and law enforcement communities to educate Vermonters on the dangers that legalization poses to their beautiful state."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
