Senate Government Operations committee unanimously recommends reappointment of Kyle Harris to Cannabis Control Board

The Senate Committee on Government Operations voted unanimously March 19 to recommend the reappointment of Kyle Harris to the Vermont Cannabis Control Board following a confirmation hearing.

Harris told the committee he joined the Cannabis Control Board after several years at the Agency of Agriculture and described the board as a full-time operation that now employs about 20 staff. "We are an independent board that implements the law," he said, noting the board handles licensing, compliance and rulemaking for the state cannabis market. "We are all full time employees and we have about, 20 people ourselves, working at the board full time."

The committee heard from Harris about several regulatory issues the board is addressing. On advertising, Harris said staff review submissions and typically seek to approve compliant advertisements while notifying applicants about missing elements such as required warning labels. "A lot of it's because they forgot to include the warning label," he said. He said the board is handling difficult questions around audience composition for advertising (for example, limiting exposure to audiences with more than a stated percentage underage) and that some of those issues are the subject of ongoing legal proceedings.

Harris also discussed market structure and what he described as growth in the number of licensees. He explained Vermont allows vertical integration (one entity may hold a set of licenses across production, manufacturing and retail) but prohibits horizontal franchising. "We're never gonna see the 7 on the campus in Vermont like you do in other markets," he said, referring to large multi-store chains in other states. The board has proposed siting rules intended to limit concentrations in small areas and said it is reviewing roughly 400 public comments on those proposed rules.

On the policy side, Harris described steps the board has taken to streamline renewal and background-check requirements and said the board recently engaged a consultant with experience in other jurisdictions to advise on what regulatory requirements are truly necessary. He told the committee the board aims to support small and equity-focused operators while meeting its statutory obligations tied to the federal Schedule I status of cannabis.

Committee members raised practical concerns Harris said the board is tracking: odor from outdoor cultivation, cross-border customers from neighboring states, and whether new license types such as special-event or farmers‑market licensure could provide market relief. Harris noted tourism accounts for a sizable portion of the state's economy and said tourist customers affect retail demand in some communities. "We also have a higher percentage of, quote, unquote, tourists that make up almost 9% of our state GDP annually versus, I think, 3% is the national average," he said, describing variability in retail traffic in different towns.

The committee made a motion to confirm Harris's reappointment and called the roll; recorded yes votes were Senator Clarkson, Senator Hearn, Senator Prokofsky, Senator White and Senator Kolomak. The committee chair announced the committee would report that it had voted unanimously to recommend reappointment.

Harris thanked the committee and offered to continue discussing regulatory and policy issues with members. The committee indicated the nomination could be placed on the floor calendar for a later date.