New Hampshire House Passes Cannabis Legalization Bill

The New Hampshire House passed a cannabis legalization bill. Now, it’s up to the Governor to make the final decision.

Per Manchester Ink

The New Hampshire House once again passed a bill Thursday that would legalize cannabis in the state. But with Gov. Kelly Ayotte staunchly opposed to the idea, even supporters are expressing doubts over its viability.

“We’ve tried 50 different bills over the last few years,” said Rep. Terry Roy, a Deerfield Republican and the chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, speaking to his colleagues Thursday. “Nothing seems to go through. And let me tell you, this one ain’t going to go through either.”

The bill in question, House Bill 75, does not attempt to create an elaborate structure of taxation, retail authorization, state-led product testing, or enforcement, unlike past efforts. Instead, the bill simply makes cannabis use and possession legal for all people in New Hampshire 21 and older, and removes any existing reference to cannabis from the state’s drug laws.

And while the bill passed the House — by voice vote — it did not appear to carry the overwhelming bipartisan support legalization bills have in the past. The House was more enthusiastic about passing a bill that would annul the criminal records of people convicted of cannabis possession, and one allowing therapeutic patients to grow their own cannabis plants under supervision.

The result comes in the wake of a number of setbacks for legalization, including the dramatic failure to pass a bill last year, and the entry of a new governor who is against the idea.