Organizers hope to raise funds for Vermont’s flooded pot shops

“Historical” flooding in Vermont is causing an unprecedented number of landslides in the state, impacting businesses including the cannabis industry. After Vermont’s cannabis companies were denied government support, the local trade organization, the Cannabis Retailers Association of Vermont, and the local festival, Higher Calling, plan to raise funds.

Summer flooding caused devastation in the state of Vermont during the summer months. It’s likely not the last flood the state faces: “I don’t want to be alarmist, but I also want to be realistic,” Ben DeJong, the state geologist, told VTDigger. “That might be something we need to revisit.”

Even when there are regulations that work in other industries, such as federal crop insurance, cannabis companies are often left excluded from these programs. Although Vermont Gov. Phil Scott asked the US Department of Agriculture for a disaster declaration, it still didn’t allow affected cannabis growers to receive state crop insurance, according to a USDA Farm Service Agency executive.

“Because we’re a federal agency, we have to obey federal laws,” said Carl Dombek, information officer for the Small Business Administration. “Cannabis is not legal under federal law and as such we cannot make loans to cannabis dispensaries.”

Forbins Finest in Barre was one of the affected cannabis stores. “The water was coming in pretty hard and pretty fast,” said Angela Payette, co-owner of Forbin’s Reserve, Inc.

“To get back into action immediately, you need to reopen so that people have a little bit of relief when times are tough,” said Brandon Marshall, the other co-owner of Forbin’s Reserve, Inc. However, Forbin’s Finest has been able to reopen while others have not, such as Capital Cannabis.

“The North Branch River immediately flooded the back parking lot as we pulled out, and we haven’t been able to move in since,” said Lauren Andrews, owner of Capital Cannabis in Montpelier. Capital Cannabis has moved to the Central Vermont Marketplace in Berlin.

higher calling

To help, the Cannabis Retailers Association of Vermont is selling tickets to Higher Calling, a two-day music festival in Cabot, and donating a portion of the proceeds to flood victims. Organizers hope to sell 1,500 tickets for Higher Calling. The festival takes place on September 15th and 16th in Cabot, Vermont at Pransky Farm.

Organizers say any proceeds in excess of festival costs will benefit flood victims in the industry. “Any monies we earn through sponsorships in excess of the cost of the festival will go 100% to the Cannabis Business Support Fund,” said Todd Bailey, executive director of the Cannabis Retailers Association of Vermont.

Planning for the festival began months ago, the Cannabis Retailers Association of Vermont said. But as the severity of the flooding became more apparent, they quickly changed their focus and turned the festival into a fundraiser.

Barre, Vermont was one of the cities hardest hit by flooding. Houses, power lines and infrastructure were destroyed by landslides. Debris lies on the streets. It was bad enough that they renamed the state’s annual “Green Up Day” to “Clean Up Day” for flood cleanup, which will be held on Saturday, August 26. The idea is to clean up roadsides, rivers, parks and other areas hardest hit by the recent wave of widespread flooding.

The day is designed to “maintain Vermont as the clean and beautiful place we know and love as we welcome visitors to support our economy and communities,” Gov. Phil Scott said during a Tuesday news briefing.