The Senate Tuesday passed a bill expanding the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state from four to six.
The bill, S.247, passed on a voice vote. It now heads to the House.
Medical marijuana was legalized in Vermont in 2004. The fourth dispensary opened several weeks ago in Brattleboro.
So far, 1,156 patients statewide have registered to receive medical marijuana, according to the Vermont Department of Public Safety. The number of registrations is up from 1,017 last month, according to a figure DPS provided the Senate Finance Committee in February.
The other dispensaries are in Burlington, Montpelier and Brandon. As of last month, 30 patients had registered to receive marijuana at the Brattleboro location, according to executive director Shayne Lynn, who also runs the Burlington facility.
Of the registered patients, 642 have selected dispensaries, according to Francis Aumand, director of the criminal justice services division of DPS.
Another 375 patients grow their own, Aumand said.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeannette White, D- Windham, would also increase from two to four ounces the amount of marijuana a dispensary can cultivate and possess per patient. That rule applies to dispensaries that serve more than 14 patients.
Public safety officials, marijuana advocates and dispensaries compromised on the bill.
An original provision was stricken that would have added post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of “debilitating medical conditions” that qualify a person to apply for a registry identification card.
That lists includes cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV and other conditions.
The bill also authorizes DPS to write rules for safe delivery of pot to patients.
Audits would be required every other year, instead of annually.
The annual dispensary registration fee paid to the Department of Public Safety would be $25,000 during years in which audits are required. Otherwise the annual registration fee is $30,000 and $20,000 in the first year of operation.
