Senate Bill 76 — Approved 22-7; House Bill 645 — Approved 82-59
“Act Relating to Marijuana Use by Persons with Severe Illness” (Sec. 1. 18 V.S.A. chapter 86 passed by the General Assembly) Gov. James Douglas (R), allowed the act to pass into law unsigned on May 26, 2004
Effective: July 1, 2004

Amended:Senate Bill 00007
Effective: May 30, 2007

Approved Conditions: Cancer, AIDS, positive status for HIV, multiple sclerosis, or the treatment of these conditions if the disease or the treatment results in severe, persistent, and intractable symptoms; or a disease, medical condition, or its treatment that is chronic, debilitating and produces severe, persistent, and one or more of the following intractable symptoms: cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe pain or nausea or seizures.

Possession/Cultivation: No more than two mature marijuana plants, seven immature plants, and two ounces of usable marijuana may be collectively possessed between the registered patient and the patient’s registered caregiver. A marijuana plant shall be considered mature when male or female flower buds are readily observed on the plant by unaided visual examination. Until this sexual differentiation has taken place, a marijuana plant will be considered immature.

Amended:Senate Bill 17 “An Act Relating To Registering Four Nonprofit Organizations To Dispense Marijuana For Symptom Relief”
Signed by Gov. Peter Shumlin on June 2, 2011

The bill “establishes a framework for registering up to four nonprofit marijuana dispensaries in the state… A dispensary will be permitted to cultivate and possess at any one time up to 28 mature marijuana plants, 98 immature marijuana plants, and 28 ounces of usable marijuana.”

On Sep. 12, 2012, the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety announced conditional approval of two medical marijuana dispensaries. In June 2013, two dispensaries opened in Vermont.