MONTPELIER, Vt. — Almost three dozen cannabis plants have been found growing in the flower beds in front of the Vermont Statehouse.

Police say a visitor alerted them to the 34 plants this week among the cultivated flowers that line the walkway in front of the building in Montpelier.

Capitol Police Chief Matthew Romei says he doesn’t know whether the immature plants were marijuana or hemp.

He says officials don’t intend to test the plants to see if they are marijuana or hemp because there is no criminal case.

In Vermont, possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use is legal. Farmers can plant hemp as a cash crop.

Romei says officials have made similar discoveries in the Statehouse flower gardens in previous years.