Health Dr. Harry Chen.

For the 100-plus members of the public who turned out Thursday — many of whom were seated in the House Chamber seats of those hearing their testimony — the event drew a few familiar faces, along with yet unheard-from Vermonters, many of whom considered this their last chance to make a public appeal.

The event also demonstrated a clear effort by home cultivation advocates, several of whom signed up in the anti-legalization line and spoke in opposition to S.241 due to its lack of protection for home cultivators and the high costs for small cultivators to obtain a license. In fact, out of the 19 people who spoke in opposition, at least five were clearly in favor of cannabis reform, but opposed S.241 based solely onkilled more people than anybody else.”

One retired teacher spoke in support of legalization, but there were also several current high school students who bravely testified to the committee about attitudes in their schools. Students from Montpelier High School spoke in support of S.241, by sharing the results of a school-wide poll conducted as a class project. That poll apparently showed legalization would not increase the likelihood of their peers using marijuana.

Burlington High School was also represented by three students from a high school health class, all of whom spoke in opposition to S.241. Two young ladies (names withheld due to minor status) performed an impressive spoken-word poem in tandem, virulently denouncing legalization. They were preceded by a third student from BHS, a young man who read an original