New Vermont laws take effect with fresh rules on privacy, cannabis, and road use

Vermont also put a new data privacy law into effect.

Vermont’s new fiscal year began Wednesday with a set of laws now in force that touch everything from personal data and concert tickets to farm operations, cannabis purchases, and benefits for first responders.

The state budget also took effect at the same time, putting funding in place for programs throughout state government. One of the changes gives bicyclists statewide permission to cross roads by using pedestrian signals, a practice that had already been common in many places and had long been allowed in Burlington.

Farmers will also see relief from annual licensing costs, which could previously climb as high as $2,500 each year. In the cannabis market, adults may now buy up to two ounces in a single day, doubling the prior legal limit of one ounce.

A separate measure addresses ticket resale by capping third-party markups on concert tickets at 10% above the original price.

Vermont also put a new data privacy law into effect. It is intended to shield personal details such as names, addresses, and medical information including weight and height, though some supporters of stronger protections say the measure does not go far enough.

Truck drivers who ignore warnings and get stuck in Smugglers’ Notch may now face fines reaching $20,000.

Another new statute, known as Jessica’s Law, broadens survivors benefits to relatives of people employed in law enforcement, corrections, state family services, and state mental health facilities.

The law was prompted by the death of Rutland City police officer Jessica Ebbighausen, who died in the line of duty.