The Vermont Legislature has given final approval to a bill that would double the state’s recreational marijuana possession and purchase limits, sending the measure to Governor Phil Scott.

Today, the state’s Senate concurred with House changes to Senate Bill 278, giving final legislative approval to the proposal. The bill previously passed the Senate before being amended by the House. The bipartisan proposal is sponsored by State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D), with cosponsors State Senators Alison Clarkson (D), Martine Gulick (D), Tanya Vyhovsky (D), Richard Westman (R) and Rebecca White (D).

Under the measure, those 21 and older would be allowed to purchase up to two ounces of marijuana in a single retail transaction, twice the state’s current one-ounce limit. The bill would also raise the personal possession limit from one ounce to two ounces and increase the legal limit for hashish from five grams to 10 grams.

In addition, SB 278 would establish a limited marijuana event authorization program. The Cannabis Control Board would be allowed to issue up to five public event authorizations and five private event authorizations annually. Each authorization would be limited to a single event lasting no more than 24 hours at an access-controlled location. Events could not be held at locations where alcohol is sold or furnished for on-site consumption. Sales would be limited to registered adult-use marijuana and marijuana products, with the Cannabis Control Board tasked with creating procedures for applications, security requirements, selection criteria and restrictions on event locations.

SB 278 would also give Vermont a framework for joining an interstate marijuana market if federal barriers are eventually removed or relaxed.

Under the bill, the governor could negotiate agreements with other states that have legalized marijuana, allowing licensed Vermont businesses to conduct medical or commercial marijuana activity with licensed businesses in those states. Those agreements would need to address a range of regulatory issues, including transportation, seed-to-sale tracking, testing, packaging, labeling, advertising, taxation and recalls.

The language would not immediately open Vermont’s market to out-of-state marijuana commerce. Any agreement could take effect only under certain conditions, including a change in federal law, reduced federal enforcement, approval or tolerance from the U.S. Department of Justice, or a finding from the Vermont attorney general that the agreement would not create a major legal risk for the state.

The bill would also prohibit municipalities from adopting ordinances or bylaws that ban marijuana establishments outright or regulate them in a way that has the same practical effect.

Most provisions of SB 278 would take effect July 1, 2026, if signed by Scott. The marijuana event authorization program would sunset on July 1, 2028, unless lawmakers extend it.