Vermont public radio reported the same back in Sept 2025
FLORA Cannabis and the Vermont Cannabis Action Fund (VCAF) have reached a negotiated settlement with the Vermont Cannabis Control Board (CCB) over FLORA’s free speech lawsuit, originally filed in December 2024. As part of the settlement, the CCB has agreed to several important changes to its enforcement practices and interpretive guidance, which collectively will reduce the heavy and unreasonable burdens placed by the state on the Constitutionally-protected right of law-abiding cannabis businesses to responsibly market to adults.
The lawsuit, filed in Addison County Superior Court, identified multiple violations of the state Constitution’s guarantees of freedom of speech, including a de facto statewide ban on outdoor advertising… that required cannabis businesses to submit even in-store marketing materials to the state for prior approval. Among other things, the settlement includes commitments from the CCB to allow outdoor signage, exempt in-store marketing materials from prior review, and allow cannabis products to be marketed via social media, which was previously forbidden.
FLORA Cannabis is an independent, locally owned and operated cannabis retailer in Middlebury. It had the state’s first-ever legal adult-use sale of cannabis in 2022.
Dave Silberman, co-founder of FLORA Cannabis, stated: “While this settlement doesn’t fix all of the Constitutional problems with Vermont’s cannabis advertising laws, it provides immediate, meaningful relief to an industry that has earned the right to be treated with respect rather than contempt, and avoids a lengthy and expensive trial,” Silberman said. “FLORA and VCAF intend to keep pressing for additional reforms in Montpelier during the 2026 legislative session.”
