Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate debate centers on cannabis fee schedule, seeks fairness between indoor and outdoor growers
Summary
Legislators and industry witnesses told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that the current cannabis license fee tiers produce an uneven economic outcome; Lt. Gov. John Rogers and growers argued for fee changes favoring small outdoor producers and for using excise tax revenue to backfill any shortfall.
Lieutenant Governor John Rogers and cultivators pressed the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on May 14 for changes to Vermont’s cannabis license fee schedule, saying the current tier structure disadvantages small craft growers and overvalues some large indoor operations.
Rogers, who represents the administration in the hearing, said the point of his proposal is fairness. “My whole hope in this is trying to keep the small craft growers in business,” he told the committee, and he proposed shifting some of the fee burden onto the excise tax if needed to backfill any revenue gap.
The discussion focused on how production potential and product value vary between indoor and outdoor cultivation. Rogers argued that some outdoor tiers have production potential similar to indoor tiers but pay far…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
