Experts say Vermont and other states bordering Canada are seeing increasing rates of black market cannabis seizures at federal crossings.

“Seizures have increased over the past year significantly,” said Michael McCarthy, public information officer for Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “There’s a difference between a personal use amount versus a smuggling attempt in a larger quantity for distribution.”

In December, CBP officers at Highgate Springs Port of Entry seized a shipment of over 1,400 pounds of cannabis inside a shipment of kitchen cabinets from Quebec. CBP officials say the shipment was destined for Massachusetts.

The bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana in Vermont has gone up in smoke, but legislators are saying: Wait until next year.

S.22, the Senate bill that would have allowed adults 21 and older to have up to 1 ounce of marijuana and to grow up to two mature plants and four immature plants on private property, would have taken effect in July.

Vermont legislators hoped a veto session that wrapped up last Wednesday would result in a path forward for the bill, the final draft of which included some of the compromises requested by Gov. Phil Scott, such as tougher penalties for underage smokers and those smoking around young children.

Vermont lawmakers once again came close — but once again failed — to pass legislation to legalize marijuana Wednesday during a one-day special veto session.

The legal weed bill passed the Senate easily, as it has the past two years. But the bill hit a wall in the House, where an effort to suspend rules to bring the bill to the floor fell far short.

"It is our best chance to pass legalization of small amounts of marijuana," Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Sears (D-Bennington) told fellow senators before their vote early Wednesday evening.

Gov. Phil Scott signed into law a bill that expands Vermont’s medical marijuana system.

The legislation, S.16, expands the list of conditions that qualify for the medical marijuana registry to include Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder, as of July 1.

Under the new law, PTSD patients will also need to receive regular psychiatric or therapeutic care in order to qualify.

The new law also will allow more medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Vermont.

Gov. Phil Scott said he's sending the marijuana legalization bill, S.22, back to lawmakers with suggestions. He says the bill doesn't do enough to protect children, among other concerns.

Vermont's attorney general is worried that a legal marijuana bill could be rushed through the Legislature during a special veto session.

T.J. Donovan believes some form of marijuana legalization is inevitable — but he says lawmakers should focus on the state budget when they return to Montpelier on June 21-22.

Gov. Phil Scott's veto has thrown the legal marijuana bill back to the Legislature, setting up more work for the summer and fall.

"We can all work together on this issue in a thoughtful and responsible way," Scott said Wednesday, suggesting that there is still a "path forward" for legalization.

Given the complexities of legislative procedure, however, that path could be more like a maze. Among the possibilities:

1. Game over

The bill could land with a splat, leaving lawmakers with the option of reviving their marijuana legalization efforts in 2018.

2. Move forward anyway

Lawmakers could override the governor's veto — which would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

The myopic Vermont governor actually blocked the United States first legalization law passed by a state legislature. In a stunning example of how disengaged he is with the citizens he represents, Phil Scott vetoed the historic bill.

“As you might imagine, I have received a great deal of advice on this issue, and have taken the time to fully understand what this legislation proposes to do,” Scott said in a press conference on Wednesday. “I carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of this proposal in order to arrive at my decision.”

Vermont is on the verge of becoming the ninth state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, but, being Vermont, it is taking an earthier, grow-it-yourself approach — one that could become a model for others.

If no action is taken by Vermont’s Governor Phil Scott before Wednesday, the state will become the first to legalize cannabis through the legislative process, and not a ballot initiative.

The legislation has already been approved by both chambers of the state legislature and the governor has only a few more days to decide whether to sign or to veto it.

Although Governor Scott has not been an advocate for the cannabis industry because he is still not sure it is healthy, Scott has certainly become more favorable on cannabis. Earlier this month, after both houses approved the legislation, Governor Scott’s spokeswoman Rebecca Kelley released the following statement:

Gov. Phil Scott has yet to decide whether he will sign a marijuana legalization bill that passed the Vermont Legislature this month.

The first-term Republican can choose to sign the bill, veto the bill, or allow it to become law without his signature.

"I'm not philosophically opposed to it," Scott said, adding that he wants any legal marijuana system to address highway safety and protecting children from edible marijuana products. "I'm not sure that the time is right now."

Scott's office has been flooded with calls and notes on the marijuana issue, including identical letters in support of the bill. Scott said they have not swayed his opinion.