Vermont lawmakers weigh retail expansion as license closures mount

A February proposal to expand the retail marketplace comes as Vermont's active license roster shrank by at least a dozen operators in recent weeks.

FILE — statehouse · B.D. Gilfry / CC BY-SA 2.0

Vermont Public reported in February that state lawmakers were considering a plan to expand the retail cannabis marketplace. The proposal emerged as Vermont maintained 111 open retail licenses and a broader operational footprint of 311 cultivation sites, 90 manufacturing facilities, and 2 testing labs, according to the state license roster current as of August.

The expansion plan's timing appears complicated by recent operator exits. At least 12 licensed entities—including retailers, cultivators, and manufacturers—became inactive between late July and early August, among them Snowbird Botanicals, Birdseye Botanicals, and Friendly Farmers. Vermont's monthly sales data shows the market generated roughly $13 million in May 2026, relatively flat across the prior six months.

The proposed retail expansion warrants close observation against the backdrop of simultaneous license attrition. Whether lawmakers' plan addresses retention and viability of existing operators, or focuses purely on new retail entry, will shape the market's actual growth trajectory.