Opponents held a news conference Tuesday morning on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier.
“I really want to have a thoughtful conversation based on science,” said Debby Haskins, executive director of the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Vermont.
Haskins’ group believes that legal marijuana would lead to greater rates of youth marijuana use and challenges to public safety, particularly through impaired driving.
Vergennes Police Chief George Merkel, who spoke at the news conference, worries that legalizing marijuana would compromise police officers’ ability to search vehicles when they smell marijuana during a traffic stop, and that departments would need to obtain new K9 teams.
A recent poll showed that 56 percent of Vermonters support a legal marijuana system, with support greatest among men, younger people and voters who identify as independent.
Most Vermonters surveyed by the Castleton Polling Institute said they expect a marijuana legalization bill to pass the Legislature in the spring.
Support is growing among some political leaders, who say Vermont’s prohibition of marijuana no longer makes sense and that the state should regulate marijuana similar to alcohol and tobacco.
Merkel argued Tuesday that marijuana is different from alcohol because use has a greater impact on driving.
"I can drink a beer and I can safely drive a car home," Merkel said, noting that he's not encouraging anyone to drive after drinking. "If I smoke a joint, can I safely drive a car home? The answer is no."
Matt Simon, a lobbyist with the Marijuana Policy Project, vigorously refuted this statement, referring to recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research that showed alcohol had a much greater impact on crash risk than marijuana use.
Overall, Simon said more than enough scientific research is available to support legalization.
A reporter pressed Chief Merkel on whether he believes responsible marijuana use is possible, similar to alcohol.
"As far as responsibly using marijuana, if somebody smokes a joint at home and nobody else is around, is that responsible? Can you honestly tell me that anybody can smoke a joint in their house and it's not going to fall into a kid's hands?" Merkel said. "That it's not going to send the wrong message to a kid who happens to belong to that family? So I think the answer is no."
Legal marijuana supporters are scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday to discuss their economic hopes, and the Senate Government Operations Committee will continue hammering out a bill Thursday.
“We’re trying to figure out what the problem is we’re trying to fix,” Haskins said. “If it’s people want to smoke at home, then look at the (decriminalization) bill. Maybe we need to change that. What is not working in Vermont? Is it about money? Because it’s about money, we could raise tax on alcohol.”
Haskins said her group will consider introducing their own bill to ask for a summer study committee — “based on science,” Haskins said.
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