Cannabis Control Board briefs Government Operations & Military Affairs committee on licensing, taxes and intoxicating hemp

James Pepper, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on an informational briefing that Vermont’s regulated cannabis market has grown quickly since legalization and that the board is addressing licensing, product oversight and public-safety concerns while the legislature considers further policy changes.

Pepper said the board and its staff — including Commissioners Julie Hobert and Kyle Harris (who joined remotely) — are operating in four divisions and have grown to 26 positions as they implement a tax-and-regulatory system the legislature created after legalization. “We are an independent body, executive branch agency,” Pepper said. He added the board has begun building a quality-assurance lab and signed a lease for lab space the previous day.

The briefing covered market size, licensing counts, tax receipts and regulatory gaps. Pepper said Vermont has about 601 individual cannabis licenses, including 394 cultivation establishments and roughly 296 small cultivators (tier 1), which operate on 1,000 square feet or less. Retail licensing is currently paused; Pepper said the board halted issuing new retail licenses while it finalizes siting rules after towns exercised local opt-in/opt-out authority. He said the state currently has about 102–103 retail licenses and that retail locations cluster in larger population centers such as Chittenden…