The Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana (VCRM) is a coalition of Vermont organizations and individuals who believe it is time to end the prohibition of marijuana in Vermont. Instead of continuing with failed prohibition policies that waste limited resources and fail to serve the public interest, we believe the production and sale of marijuana for adult use should be regulated and taxed for the benefit of all Vermonters. The coalition, whose members come from across Vermont’s business, government, and non-governmental sectors, will work to ensure that policymakers consider the myriad public policy benefits associated with marijuana regulation. Regulating marijuana will create jobs, stimulate local economies, and generate millions in tax revenue. By reducing the incentive for criminal activity, regulation will also keep our communities safer, help preserve our environment, and allow police to focus on violent crime and serious threats to public safety.
Click here to view a list of prominent coalition members.
Staff
Laura Subin, J.D.
Director
[email protected]
Laura Subin is an attorney and has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years. Presently, she is a consultant in nonprofit management, working with a variety of charitable organizations on infrastructure development, program planning, strategic planning, and fundraising.
Ms. Subin has been recognized as an expert in domestic violence and has testified as such in Vermont Family and Criminal Courts and before the Vermont Legislature. She was the Executive Director of Women Helping Battered Women and the Director of the Council on Domestic Violence in Vermont, and the Executive Director of the Coalition of Battered Women’s Advocates in New York City. Ms. Subin has developed and presented workshops and seminars on the relationship between domestic violence and women’s involvement with the criminal legal system as well as the co-occurring crises of domestic violence and substance abuse in families.
Matt Simon
New England Political Director, Marijuana Policy Project
[email protected]
From 2007-2010, Matt served as executive director for the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy. In 2011, he worked as New Hampshire communications director for Governor Gary Johnson’s presidential campaign, and, in December 2011, he began working as a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project.
A former college English instructor, Matt believes respectful and effective communication is key to successful reform efforts. In 2013, his efforts bore fruit in Vermont as well as in New Hampshire; Matt was heavily involved in the successful campaign for Vermont’s new decriminalization law and led the efforts to allow medical marijuana in New Hampshire. Matt holds a Master of Arts degree in English from West Virginia University.
