Vt. weighs expanding marijuana law

The bill, introduced by Senator Richard Sears, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a Democrat from Bennington, would expand the list of qualifying diseases, allow registered participants to grow more plants, and cut the registration fee in half to $50.

Steve Perry of Randolph Center uses illegal marijuana to ease the symptoms of degenerative bone disease, which causes squeezing pain, electric shock-like sensations when he turns his neck the wrong way, and crippling muscle spasms.

"Because the law doesn't allow me to legally use or obtain marijuana, I have to put myself at risk of being arrested and going to jail every time I need to ease the pain," Perry said.

Mark Tucci of Manchester uses marijuana to ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

But the current law doesn't allow him to grow enough marijuana, forcing him to buy it illegally at great expense. "I'm getting sick of going out to try to find the stuff," said Tucci.

Public Safety commissioner Kerry Sleeper said there had been an increase in illegal drug use, and he didn't want to encourage that.

Jane Woodruff, executive director of the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, said she feared that increasing the number of plants a patient could have could make participants' homes targets for criminals.