As Gov. Phil Scott said he wouldn’t sign tax and regulate marijuana legislation without a provision allowing for saliva testing for motorists, a House panel got its first look a proposal that would permit that to happen.
The Republican governor said for the first time Thursday that he would only support a bill to legalize and regulate marijuana sales, if lawmakers also legalized roadside saliva testing.
For months, the governor has said that he would only support the legislation if lawmakers also invested in initiatives to bolster safety and law enforcement on the state’s roads.
In addition to legalizing saliva tests, which are opposed by many civil rights groups, lawmakers have mulled investing in additional drug recognition experts — law enforcement experts trained to detect impairment.
But on Thursday, Scott told reporters that additional DREs wouldn’t be enough to earn his signature on a tax and regulate bill.
