[T]he House passed a bill Tuesday that would expand Vermont’s medical marijuana system.
A panel of lawmakers from both chambers is likely to convene later this week to negotiate the differences in the versions of S.16 the House passed this week and the one the Senate passed in February.
Both chambers endorse expanding the list of medical conditions that would qualify for the marijuana registry to include Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The House, unlike the Senate, would require PTSD patients to be in some form of mental health counseling to qualify for marijuana to relieve their symptoms.
Both the House and Senate seek to expand the number of marijuana outlets in an effort to improve access for patients in some areas of the state, particularly Bennington County and the Northeast Kingdom. Currently four dispensaries are allowed.
The House would let holders of the four dispensary licenses open as many as three store locations each — allowing up to 12 locations run by four businesses. The Senate would create four new licenses, for a total of eight businesses.
The bill also makes changes allowing dispensaries to convert to for-profit models, rather than being limited to nonprofits.
In discussion on the House floor Monday, some lawmakers praised the move to include PTSD as an eligible condition. Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield, said it is a step toward making marijuana “compassionately available” to those who need it to relieve their symptoms.
Rep. Kiah Morris, D-Bennington, raised concerns that the bill does not make more explicit the need for a dispensary in certain areas of the state, such as in her district, where people face lengthy drives to Brattleboro or Brandon to access the system.
Other representatives questioned allowing marijuana dispensaries to function as for-profit businesses.
The bill passed the House in a vote of 130-16.