Appropriations reviews H.321 miscellaneous cannabis bill; flags $150,000 enforcement attorney request

House Appropriations convened March 18 to consider H.321, described in committee as “an act relating to miscellaneous cannabis” that would make technical and targeted policy changes to Vermont’s commercial cannabis regulatory system.

The bill matters because it both alters licensing and compliance processes used by the Cannabis Control Board and includes a request — not an appropriation — for a new enforcement attorney position the board says would cost about $150,000 a year.

For the record, Michelle Childs, Office of Legislative Council, told the committee the bill is the annual miscellaneous cannabis package and walked members through its key changes. “This is the annual miscellaneous cannabis bill,” she said, adding it includes both technical edits and a small number of substantive items. Among the measures Childs described, the bill would: create a new trim-and-harvest license with a $500 annual fee for people who work seasonally with cultivators; clarify background-check procedures when FBI records are unavailable and permit rechecks; allow the Cannabis Control Board to issue temporary employee licenses while checks are…