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Cannabis retailers and growers urge 10‑mg edibles, cafes and municipal vote fixes in S.278 hearing
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Summary
Industry witnesses told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that raising edible servings to 10 mg, licensing events and cafes, and clarifying municipal opt‑in rules would help draw consumers from the illicit market and stabilize Vermont's regulated cannabis sector.
Dave Silberman, an attorney who operates Flora Cannabis and directs the Vermont Cannabis Action Fund (VCAF), and Jeffrey Visotelo, cofounder and executive director of the Vermont Growers Association, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee during a public hearing that S.278 should include several market‑stabilizing changes to draw customers away from the unregulated market.
Silberman said the Cannabis Control Board’s recent supply‑and‑demand analysis shows Vermont’s regulated market captures roughly 68% of sales, leaving about 32% to illicit channels; he argued that shifting to a national standard of 10 milligrams per edible serving would reduce leakage to out‑of‑state and unregulated sellers. "If you ask any retailer in this state, they will tell you that customers come into their stores every day asking for 10 milligram edibles and take their business elsewhere," Silberman said.
Both witnesses backed new licensure for special events and cannabis cafes to create more regulated points of sale outside retail dispensaries. Silberman recommended any event or non‑retailer sale be executed through a contracted retailer using the state’s track‑and‑trace system to preserve oversight and inventory controls.
Visotelo emphasized structural access problems created by Vermont’s municipal opt‑in regime and urged the committee to consider requiring towns to hold retail opt‑in votes or to create a date‑certain default opt‑in with an opt‑out process. He also supported restoring two appropriations removed from the bill—$1,000,000 to a Cannabis Business Development Fund and $1,600,000 to the Land Access Opportunity Board—to finance technical assistance and community reinvestment programs.
Both witnesses expressed caution about the delivery permit language in the current draft. Silberman said many of his coalition members oppose the delivery model as written and recommended adding on‑site sales at producer facilities as an optional path, and increasing the number of delivery/on‑site permits to 30 to match event permits.
The committee asked procedural questions about town ballot articles and permit counts; Silberman explained two common paths to a municipal ballot question—select board placement or a petition signed by 5% of voters—and said select boards have generally treated valid petitions as mandatory to place on ballots.
The committee did not take votes during the hearing. Members said they would review written testimony and may consider amendments as the bill moves through committee and, if necessary, to the committee of conference for budget items.
