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Home > News Archive > 2004 > Vermont To Begin Registering Legal Medical Cannabis Patients
Vermont To Begin Registering Legal Medical Cannabis Patients
September 30, 2004 - Montpelier, VT, USA
Montpelier, VT: The Vermont Department of Public Safety will begin accepting applications next month from patients seeking to legally possess and cultivate marijuana under state law. The new law, approved by the legislature in May, legalizes the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to three marijuana plants (one mature plant, two immature plants) for patients suffering from cancer, HIV, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis.
Patients and their caregivers must be registered with the state Department of Public Safety to qualify for protection under the law. Vermont's medical marijuana patient registration program will be similar to existing state-authorization programs in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and Oregon.
Three other states - California, Maine, and Washington - have also enacted laws legalizing the use of medicinal cannabis for qualified patients. However, these state laws do not mandate patients to register with any overseeing state agency.
Vermont state officials will have 30 days from the date of an application to verify the patient's condition. The state will then issue the patients an identification card certifying that they are registered with the state's medical marijuana program.
Application forms for the state registry are expected to be posted by mid-October on the Department of Public Safety's website.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-5500. A summary of state medical marijuana programs is available online at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3391
updated: Sep 30, 2004
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