The story
Vermont’s 2013 reform replaced criminal penalties for small adult possession with a civil violation. It did not make the conduct fully lawful.
Act 76 was signed on 6 June. The relevant provisions took effect on 1 July 2013. For people aged 21 or older, possession of no more than one ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish carried maximum civil penalties of $200 for a first offence, $300 for a second and $500 thereafter. The act expressly ruled out a criminal-history record for that violation.
The distinction from legalisation remained practical. Cannabis was still contraband subject to seizure, impaired-driving rules still applied, and municipalities could regulate public use. Cultivation remained within the criminal provisions. The act also established a separate youth procedure, so the adult fine schedule should not be presented as the complete rule for minors.
Parrella’s overview calls the change legalisation while also mentioning fines. Reading the original act resolves that ambiguity. These are historical 2013 rules, not Vermont’s current possession or growing limits.[1][2]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for United States here.
References
- Vermont General Assembly — Act 76 (H.200), as enacted, 2013Sections 1–2 and 12–13; especially printed pp. 4–7 and 35archived
- Cannabis: non solo fumoBernardo Parrella · Stampa Alternativa · 2014 · Scenari per il nuovo millennio — USA: prove generali di legalizzazione?
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.