Last week, this column was pretty pessimistic. Apologies, but when a state in my own beloved Northeast decides to put the kibosh on a law that would reduce the number of prisoners in their jails in and increase the amount of tax dollars in its coffers, it grates at the nerves. New Hampshire did it, and Vermont did too, but to the East, Maine has given New England a new hope for legalization. 

Efforts at legalizing recreational marijuana use and cultivation in Vermont went up in smoke Tuesday as the House defeated proposals put forth by Democratic and Progressive lawmakers.

In a marathon session that began in the morning and lasted until nearly 6 p.m., House members considered a range of proposals for legalizing and decriminalizing pot.

Much rationale — economic, scientific and societal — has already been given by many reasoned Vermont voices in support of the legalization and regulation of cannabis.

Over the past year, Vermonters have organized to form various coalitions, both organic and funding-enhanced. Public hearings have been held in every corner of the state, and have been attended by legislators. And those same legislators have dedicated time and effort to cannabis hearings at the Statehouse, presumably to build consensus and avoid the confused and combative scenario we face tomorrow.

The Vermont Senate approved a marijuana legalization bill earlier this year (S.241). Vermont’s Governor, Peter Shumlin, has expressed a strong desire to see Vermont become the first state to legalize marijuana via legislative action. Polls have shown that Vermont voters support marijuana legalization. So what is the hold up? So far this session, it’s been the Vermont House. It sounds like that is set to change on Monday. Per Vermont Public Radio:

House Speaker Shap Smith says the House will debate a bill legalizing marijuana Monday.

Smith says it’s not clear if any version of the bill will actually win majority support.

A marijuana bill remains alive in the legislature after the House Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 Friday for a significantly scaled-back version.

The vote came after the committee narrowly rejected a proposal to table the legislation entirely.

The bill that passed the committee does not legalize marijuana, as the Senate voted to do, but would establish a study commission to prepare for eventual legalization, said Judiciary Committee vice chair Willem Jewett (D-Ripton).

Committee members who voted for the bill were: chair Maxine Grad (D-Moretown), Jewett, Barbara Rachelson (D-Burlington), Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington), Chip Conquest (D-Wells River) and Bill Frank (D-Underhill).

Is Vermont’s push to legalize losing steam? Earlier this year, the state was poised to become the first in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adult use by an act of the Legislature, rather than a ballot initiative. But after the Senate approved the legalization bill and it landed in the House, the chair of a key panel announced she’s starting over from scratch. House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Maxine Grad (D-Moretown) indicated that instead of supporting a legal, regulated market, she thinks the state should simply decriminalize home cultivation.

The Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana will begin airing a new television ad statewide on Tuesday, just as members of the Vermont House of Representatives are preparing to vote on a bill that would end marijuana prohibition.

Thirty- and 60-second versions of the ad, titled “Vermont Is Ready,” will appear throughout the week on WCAX, WPTZ, and a variety of cable stations. Both versions of the ad can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/1qicp4i.

By the end of this year, several more states in the U.S. could be among those who have legalized cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. Of course, their success is up to the activists and voters in each state. If you’re in one of these states, here is what you need to know.

States where recreational legalization is on the ballot: Nevada

States where medical legalization is on the ballot: Florida

States where activists are going through the legislature or attempting to make the ballot for recreational or medical legalization: California, Vermont, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Rhode Island, Maine, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Utah, Arkansas

Long Shots

The state may soon be the first to legalize recreational weed by law.

In the next few weeks, as Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin nears the end of his time in office, his state could make history. If he has his way, Vermont will become the first state in the union to legalize marijuana through its legislature. The four states that have already legalized recreational pot—Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska—all did so by taking the issue to voters through ballot initiatives. The Vermont Senate passed a marijuana legalization bill in February and it is currently being debated in the House.

Over the past four years, marijuana legalization has come to the United States at a relatively fast pace, thanks to overwhelming support for it among young adults. But up until now, change has mostly come from the voters -- sometimes in spite of lawmakers' wishes.

That balance could be shifting toward legislators, at least in one state: Vermont. In the next few weeks, Vermont could become the first state legislature to legalize marijuana. At Gov. Peter Shumlin's (D) urging, a bill to make Vermont the fifth state to legalize recreational marijuana passed the state Senate in February and is currently being debated in the state House.