Equity Advocates Say Vermont Cannabis Market Leaves Them Behind

Who is benefiting from Vermont’s nascent cannabis industry? A bill on the way to Governor Phil Scott makes small tweaks to regulating sales and licenses, but some grassroots cannabis advocates say they’ve been shut out. Cannabis has ramped up since it was legalized for sale in Vermont three years ago, with hundreds of licensed growers and dozens of dispensaries across the state. But a group of advocates representing medical cannabis, racial justice, and small growers say they are being shut out of the marketplace and the Statehouse. “This is really about our five years of advocacy — including this session — being the most predominant voices in the room being the most representative coalition out there, and continuing to get nothing,” said Graham Unangst-Rufenacht with Rural Vermont, one of several groups comprising the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition. The coalition says the current marketplace falls short in righting the wrongs of past criminalization; fails to adequately support medical marijuana; and does not support the financial well-being of small growers, who want to be able to sell directly to consumers at farm stands or farmers markets.