§ 861 — Definitions

As used in this chapter:
(1) “Advertise” means the publication or dissemination of an advertisement.
(2) “Advertisement” means any written or verbal statement, illustration, or depiction that would reasonably have the effect of inducing sales of cannabis or cannabis products, including any written, printed, graphic, or other material; billboard, sign, or other outdoor display; other periodical literature, publication, or in a radio or television broadcast; the internet; or in any other media. The term does not include:
(A) any label affixed to any cannabis or cannabis product or any individual covering, carton, or other wrapper of that container that constitutes a part of the labeling under provisions of these standards;
(B) any editorial or other reading material, such as a news release, in any periodical or publication or newspaper for the publication of which no money or valuable consideration is paid or promised, directly or indirectly, by any cannabis establishment, and that is not written by or at the direction of the licensee;
(C) any educational, instructional, or otherwise noncommercial material that is not intended to induce sales and that does not propose an economic transaction, but that merely provides information to the public in an unbiased manner; or
(D) a sign attached to the premises of a cannabis establishment that merely identifies the location of the cannabis establishment.
(3) “Affiliate” means a person that directly or indirectly owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with another person.
(4) “Applicant” means a person that applies for a license to operate a cannabis establishment pursuant to this chapter.
(5) “Board” means the Cannabis Control Board.
(6) “Cannabis” has the same meaning as provided in section 831 of this title.
(7) “Cannabis cultivator” or “cultivator” means a person licensed by the Board to engage in the cultivation of cannabis in accordance with this chapter.
(8) “Cannabis establishment” means a cannabis cultivator, propagation cultivator, wholesaler, product manufacturer, retailer, testing laboratory, or integrated licensee licensed by the Board to engage in commercial cannabis activity in accordance with this chapter.
(9) “Cannabis product” has the same meaning as provided in section 831 of this title.
(10) “Cannabis product manufacturer” or “product manufacturer” means a person licensed by the Board to manufacture cannabis products in accordance with this chapter.
(11) “Cannabis retailer” or “retailer” means a person licensed by the Board to sell cannabis and cannabis products to adults 21 years of age and older for off-site consumption or cultivation in accordance with this chapter.
(12) “Cannabis testing laboratory” or “testing laboratory” means a person licensed by the Board to test cannabis and cannabis products in accordance with this chapter.
(13) “Cannabis wholesaler” or “wholesaler” means a person licensed by the Board to purchase, process, transport, and sell cannabis and cannabis products in accordance with this chapter.
(14) “Chair” means the Chair of the Cannabis Control Board.
(15) “Characterizing flavor” means a taste or aroma, other than the taste or aroma of cannabis, imparted either prior to or during consumption of a cannabis product. The term includes tastes or aromas relating to any fruit, chocolate, vanilla, honey, maple, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcoholic beverage, mint, menthol, wintergreen, herb or spice, or other food or drink or to any conceptual flavor that imparts a taste or aroma that is distinguishable from cannabis flavor but may not relate to any particular known flavor.
(16) “Child-deterrent packaging” means tear-resistant packaging that can be sealed in a manner that would deter children under five years of age from easily accessing the contents of the package within a reasonable time and not difficult for adults to use properly.
(17) “Child-resistant packaging” means packaging that is designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the substance in the container within a reasonable time and not difficult for adults to use properly but does not mean packaging that all children under five years of age cannot open or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the substance in the container within a reasonable time.
(18) “Controls,” “is controlled by,” and “under common control” mean the power to direct, or cause the direction or management and policies of a person, whether through the direct or beneficial ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise. A person who directly or beneficially owns 10 percent or more equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, of another person shall be deemed to control the person.
(19) “Dispensary” means a business organization licensed pursuant to chapter 37 of this title.
(20) [Repealed.]
(21) “Flavored oil cannabis product” means any oil cannabis product that contains an additive to give it a characterizing flavor.
(22) “Hemp” means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of the plant, including the seeds and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, acids, salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with the federally defined tetrahydrocannabinol concentration level of hemp.
(23)(A) “Hemp products” or “hemp-infused products” means all products with the federally defined tetrahydrocannabinol concentration level for hemp derived from, or made by, processing hemp plants or plant parts that are prepared in a form available for commercial sale, including cosmetics, personal care products, food intended for animal or human consumption, cloth, cordage, fiber, fuel, paint, paper, construction materials, plastics, and any product containing one or more hemp-derived cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol.
(B) Notwithstanding subdivision (A) of this subdivision (23), “hemp products” and “hemp-infused products” do not include any substance, manufacturing intermediary, or product that:
(i) is prohibited or deemed a regulated cannabis product by administrative rule of the Cannabis Control Board; or
(ii) contains more than 0.3 percent total tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry-weight basis.
(C) A hemp-derived product or substance that is excluded from the definition of “hemp products” or “hemp-infused products” pursuant to subdivision (B) of this subdivision (23) shall be considered a cannabis product as defined by subdivision 831(3) of this title; provided, however, that a person duly licensed or registered by the Cannabis Control Board lawfully may possess such products in conformity with the person’s license or hemp processor registration.
(24) “Integrated licensee” means a person licensed by the Board to engage in the activities of a cultivator, wholesaler, product manufacturer, retailer, and testing laboratory in accordance with this chapter.
(25) “Municipality” means a town, city, or incorporated village.
(26) “Owner” means a natural person who controls, or shares control of, a Cannabis Establishment.
(27) “Person” shall include any natural person; corporation; municipality; the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State; and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity.
(28) “Plant canopy” means the square footage dedicated to live plant production and does not include areas such as office space or areas used for the storage of fertilizers, pesticides, or other products.
(29) “Principal” means one of the following:
(A) the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, manager, or similar officer of a corporation as provided for by 11A V.S.A. § 8.40, nonprofit corporation as provided for by 11B V.S.A. § 8.40, mutual benefit enterprise as provided for by 11C V.S.A. § 822, cooperative as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 1013, or worker cooperative corporation as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 1089;
(B) a director of a corporation as provided for by 11A V.S.A. § 8.01, nonprofit corporation as provided for by 11B V.S.A. § 8.01, mutual benefit enterprise as provided for by 11C V.S.A. § 801, cooperative as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 1006, or worker cooperative corporation as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 1089;
(C) a member of a member-managed limited liability company as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 4054;
(D) manager of a manager-managed limited liability company as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 4054; or
(E) a partner of a partnership as provided for by 11 V.S.A. § 3212 or a general partner of a limited partnership as provided for by 11 V.S.A chapter 23.
(30) “Small cultivator” means a cultivator with a plant canopy or space for cultivating plants for breeding stock of not more than 1,000 square feet.
(31) “Cannabis propagation cultivator” or “propagation cultivator” means a person licensed by the Board to cultivate cannabis clones, immature plants, and mature plants in accordance with this chapter. (Added 2019, No. 164 (Adj. Sess.), § 7, eff. Oct. 7, 2020; amended 2021, No. 62, § 5, eff. June 7, 2021; 2021, No. 86 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 25, 2022; 2021, No. 158 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 31, 2022; 2023, No. 65, § 4, eff. June 14, 2023; 2025, No. 56, § 3, eff. July 1, 2025.)