Smith Says Vt. House Can Debate Marijuana Decriminalization

Print More

Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith says he has his own misgivings, but he won’t block the Vermont House from debating decriminalization of marijuana.

The Morristown Democrat has opposed marijuana decriminalization in the past, and says he still has concerns that making the change will send the wrong message to young Vermonters.

But the speaker says he won’t try to keep legislation on the issue from being debated by his colleagues. Smith says he has asked for more information on the issue from Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn.

Gov. Peter Shumlin supports decriminalization, and has argued he does not want to see young Vermonters’ future job prospects be harmed by getting arrested for small amounts of marijuana.

Comments are closed.