Vermont Gov. James Douglas has on his desk legislation that would expand eligibility for the state's medical marijuana program, but has not indicated whether he will sign it, the Barre Montpelier Times Argus reported on May 17.

Vermont's state legislature passed a bill that would expand eligibility for the program to include patients with chronic, progressive, or debilitating diseases, such as shingles or severe arthritis. Vermont's law currently only sanctions medical marijuana use for patients with extremely serious illnesses.

Jason Gibbs, spokesman for Gov. Douglas, said that the governor has not yet seen the bill, but would likely allow the bill to become law without a signature if he decides the program's expansion is only modest.

The Vermont program currently has 35 people and six caregivers registered with the state to use marijuana. Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington D.C., said the new bill brings Vermont more in line with medical marijuana laws in other states.

"What Vermont has now is hyper-restrictive," he said. "This bill would bring the law closer to the middle of what other states have."