§ 976. Dispensary identification card

(a) Every owner, principal, and employee of a dispensary shall obtain an identification card issued by the Board.

(b)(1) Prior to issuing the identification card, the Board shall obtain from the Vermont Crime Information Center a copy of the person‘s fingerprint-based Vermont criminal history records, out-of-state criminal history records, and criminal history records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(2) The Board shall adopt rules that set forth standards for determining whether a person should be denied a medical cannabis dispensary identification card because of his or her criminal history record based on factors that demonstrate whether the applicant presently poses a threat to public safety or the proper functioning of the regulated market. Nonviolent drug offenses shall not automatically disqualify a candidate.

(c) Once an identification card application has been submitted, a person may serve as an employee of a dispensary pending the background check, provided the person is supervised in his or her duties by someone who is a cardholder. The Board shall issue a temporary permit to the person for this purpose, which shall expire upon the issuance of the identification card or disqualification of the person in accordance with this section.

(d) An identification card shall expire one year after its issuance or upon the expiration of the dispensary’s license, whichever occurs first. (Added 2019, No. 164 (Adj. Sess.), § 12, eff. March 1, 2022.)