Law New Hampshire

[Baron23]

N.H. House Passes Bills to Expand Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana would be available to more patients under a pair of bills approved by the New Hampshire House, but a more expansive bill has died in the Senate.
House voted Wednesday to add insomnia and opioid use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions, though the latter would carry significant restrictions.

An earlier version of one of the bills also sought to add anxiety and Lyme disease to the list, but those provisions were removed.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted against making medical marijuana available for any condition for which treatment is determined to be necessary by a provider.
The Senate also rejected a bill to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana, or cannabis for adult use. Senators, by voice voice Jan. 8, sent the bill to interim study.

 

[Baron23]

If they do, then they must be prepared to override a Sonunu veto. And hopefully the citizens of NH will dump that tight ass neanderthal.


New Hampshire Lawmakers Take New Approach To Marijuana Legalization For 2020

The New Hampshire legislature is set to once again take up the issue of marijuana legalization this session—but this time, there’s a new strategy that lawmakers hope will overcome challenges they’ve previously faced.


A bill filed last week would allow adults 21 and older to possess and gift up to three-fourths an ounce of cannabis, and they could grow up to six plants. Missing from the legislation is a commercial sales element, which was intentionally left out to bolster its chances of passage.


That means the proposal would essentially mirror the current marijuana model of neighboring Vermont, which became the first state to enact a legal cannabis system through the legislature in 2018. While there are no recreational marijuana shops in the state, adults are allowed to grow their own and possess it for personal use.


The new legislation in New Hampshire—which has eight sponsors, including three Republicans—has been referred to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, where it’s scheduled to get a hearing on January 23.


“It’s a bipartisan bill, and we’re hoping to advance it through the House and through the Senate and to, at the very least, put an end to criminalizing the possession and cultivation of cannabis in New Hampshire,” Rep. Renny Cushing (D), a cosponsor of the legislation who has previously been the chief sponsor of broader legalization bills, told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Monday.


“We see this as an incremental step toward commercialization,” he said.


The text of the bill states that New Hampshire residents are in favor of reform, numerous states have enacted legal cannabis systems and allowing adults to “cultivate their own limited supply of cannabis will provide them with an alternative to buying cannabis from illicit drug dealers.”


It also outlines penalties for violating the measure. For example, adults who possess marijuana in excess of the allowable amount will face a misdemeanor charge.


Because the legislation would not provide for commercial cannabis sales, advocates are hopeful that it will win over the support of legislators who opposed past reform efforts due to issues with provisions such as the tax rate on retail marijuana products.


“Our opponents have dug in very deeply on the concept of portraying any regulated sale of cannabis as being commercialization, the next Big Tobacco, all of the [prohibitionist group Smart Approaches To Marijuana] talking points,” Matt Simon, New England political director at the Marijuana Policy Project, told Marijuana Moment. “We wanted to get back to the basics of what’s really resonated in New Hampshire—the criminal justice reform, civil liberties type of arguments that adults should not be punished for using cannabis or growing a small amount of cannabis.”


“From the perspective of the goal being end prohibition, regulate and tax, it’s just another increment along the way,” he said. “But we’re looking at it as a very important goal in and of itself to stop punishing adults in New Hampshire for behavior that’s legal in every neighboring jurisdiction.”


It remains to be seen whether Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who signed a modest decriminalization measure into law in 2017 but said he’d veto commercial legalization proposals, will be more amenable to the scaled-down approach.


Cushing said legislators “don’t know how the governor will respond” at this stage.


“In the past, he’s been opposed to it. But I think what we’re seeing is an evolution on the part of many people of their thinking when it comes to cannabis policy,” he said. “If the bill gets to his desk, we hope the governor would sign it—or perhaps the governor would just let the bill become law without his signature. But that’s still a few months to go.”


Simon pointed to Sununu’s veto of a medical cannabis homegrow bill last year as a “pretty clear indication that he may veto this bill as well.” However, advocates are “going to try to put it on his desk and make him have to make that decision.”


“The goal is to continue building consensus in the legislature, trying to get to the point where we would have an opportunity to win this year, but we recognize that the odds are against winning this,” he said. “But it’s an election year so we’re going to try to pull off an upset.”


“I think the most important thing is that New Hampshire should not be an island of prohibition,” he added. “We’re literally surrounded by jurisdictions where it’s legal for adults to possess cannabis and there’s no justification whatsoever for the Live Free or Die State to be maintaining prohibition.”


A full tax-and-regulate marijuana legalization bill did pass the House of Representatives last year. But after receiving a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, it ultimately stalled and died. That was one of several marijuana legalization measures that have advanced in the legislature in recent sessions without having enough bicameral support to cross the finish line.


In Vermont, where the noncommercial legalization law has been in effect since July 2018, legislative leaders are working to add a system of regulated and tax sales and production in the 2020 session.

 

[Baron23]

New Hampshire Senate passes homegrow bill for medical marijuana


The New Hampshire Senate just passed SB 420 which will let qualified patients grow their own medical marijuana.


The measure approved by senators on Thursday allows designated caregivers or patients to grow up to three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings each.


Although the state legalized medical cannabis in 2013, growing the plant for personal use is currently a felony offense.


The “Live Free or Die” state is surrounded legal, adult-use states Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts. The bill is seen as an important step in getting rid of cannabis prohibition in the Northeast.


New Hampshire has more than 8,000 patients in its medical marijuana program, which began in 2016. Rep. Tom Sherman, a Democrat from Rye, said dispensary costs can be prohibitive for patients and caregivers, and that dispensaries sometimes don’t carry the type of medical cannabis patients need to treat their conditions.


The bill now heads to the House.


A similar bill cleared the House and Senate last year. Republican Governor Chris Sununu vetoed it, citing public safety concerns.

 

[Baron23]

New Hampshire Extends Deadline For Medical Marijuana Card Renewal

Medical marijuana patients in New Hampshire will have a bit longer to renew their cards, as the state extended its deadline in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Hampshire Public Radio reported that the state’s therapeutic cannabis program announced Friday that “patients who have cards that are expiring in April, May and June of this year” will now have until July 31 to extend the expiration of their cards.

Michael Holt, an administrator of the program, told the radio station “that’s because patients are having difficulty accessing their doctors for renewal appointments for recertification.”

“Patients are, for lack of a better word, stocking up on cannabis supplies during this time,” Holt said, “in part because they want to make fewer trips to the dispensaries to restrict or to limit their exposure to the community and also to just bank against an ATC perhaps not being able to provide services due to their own staff becoming sick.”
The coronavirus outbreak has brought the entire country to a standstill, but it has been a boom time for many marijuana businesses. It has also been an affirmation of cannabis’ legitimacy as an industry, with several states deeming such businesses essential, a designation that allows them to stay open during the pandemic.
Headset, a cannabis market research company, has reported on a spike in demand in states such as Colorado and California during the outbreak, with many bored customers confined to their homes.

“Steve Allan, the president of the California-based cannabis business Caliva, said its delivery business has seen double-digit growth thus far in March, as well as an increase in its delivery services across all of its locations. The last two weeks, Allan said, have brought “record breaking sales.”

“We know that many cannabis users rely on our products and services for their ongoing well-being, so having a delivery option that can continue to service them during these unprecedented times is something we’re proud to keep up and running, of course with the safety of our own employees and our community front of mind,” Allan said.

 

[momofthegoons]

New Hampshire Marijuana Legalization Effort Runs Up Against New Republican Legislature​

“Eventually it will get passed. But I don’t think it will happen until we get a new governor.”

By Christian Wade | The Center Square

Marijuana advocates are continuing a push to legalize the drug for recreational use in New Hampshire, but the effort faces an unlikely path in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

A bipartisan bill filed in the state House of Representatives this month would, if approved, legalize recreational cannabis for adults over 21 and set up a system of regulation and taxation for the drug that would allow retail sales. It’s similar to proposals filed in previous legislative sessions, all of which have failed to win approval.

“The battle continues,” said Rep. Rebecca McWilliams, D-Concord, a primary sponsor of the bill. “We keep refining it and negotiating and trying to come up with something that could potentially get to the two-thirds vote needed to override the governor’s veto.”

The proposal would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of weed and would authorize regulated cultivation and retail sales. Adults would be allowed to grow up to six marijuana plants at home. A state-run cannabis commission would set regulations and oversee the new industry. The proposal calls for a 9% tax on recreational pot sales.

But the measure faces a steep climb in the state legislature—which swung back to the GOP in the November 3 elections—not to mention the threat of a veto by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who opposes legalization.

McWilliams acknowledges the measure faces long odds in the biennial legislative session and said lawmakers who support the effort lack the votes to override a Sununu veto. But she said the effort is building more support with every passing year.

“Eventually it will get passed,” she said. “But I don’t think it will happen until we get a new governor.”

While marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law, she said there’s a chance the new Democrat-controlled Congress and White House could lift the federal prohibition on pot.

Nationally, 68 percent of Americans back the legalization of marijuana, according to a recent Gallup poll, which noted that support has been inching up steadily over the years.

To date, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territory of Guam have legalized recreational marijuana. Thirty-six states have medical marijuana programs.

New Hampshire has often been described as a “cannabis island” with neighboring states and Canada allowing recreational marijuana cultivation and retail sales.

While the Granite State decriminalized marijuana possession in 2017, recreational growing and sales are not authorized.

In 2014, the Democrat-controlled House approved a legalization bill but it failed to pass the Senate. Similar proposals have been refiled every session, but have failed to gain traction.

The state has also allowed medical marijuana dispensaries since 2013, but cultivating the drug for personal use is still a felony.

Lawmakers approved a bill in 2019 that would have allowed medical pot patients to grow their own supply, but Sununu vetoed it, citing public safety concerns.

This piece was first published by The Center Square

 

[momofthegoons]

New Hampshire Lawmakers Take First Step To Put Marijuana Legalization On 2022 Ballot​

New Hampshire lawmakers have a new strategy to legalize marijuana in the state that involves putting a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to decide on in 2022.

Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R) each recently filed separate requests with the Office of Legislative Services to draft legislation to refer cannabis legalization questions to voters.

It would take a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers to advance any of the measures. But while that may be a tall task in the GOP-controlled legislature, if they’re successful, it would enable lawmakers to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

Should legislators approve placing a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.

Meanwhile, standalone legalization legislation that’s been retained from this year is set to be taken up when lawmakers reconvene early in 2022, and advocates are hopeful that it will advance based on prior votes in the House. The chamber passed a legalization bill last year, but it died in a Senate committee.

If the Senate again refuses to advance a legalization bill next year, an alternative path is to ask voters to decide. Here’s the text of the brief descriptions of each of the proposed constitutional amendments that lawmakers want to be drafted:

Adjutant: Providing that the state shall make no law prohibiting the use, sale, or cultivation of cannabis for persons over 18 years of age.

Cushing: Providing that adults shall have the right to possess cannabis for personal consumption.

Prout: Providing that all adults have the right to possess, use, and cultivate cannabis, subject to regulation by the legislature.

“Granite Staters are tired of watching cannabis bills pass the House and then die in the Senate,” Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of NH, told Marijuana Moment. “Public opinion is overwhelmingly favorable on the issue, so it’s no surprise that legislators have finally decided to try this approach.”



Lawmakers in Maryland are also crafting legislation to place a marijuana legalization referendum on the 2022 ballot after the House speaker called for the move.

In New Hampshire, Sununu remains opposed to adult-use legalization, advocates are encouraged that he signed a bill last month adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.

In 2017, the governor signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession in the Granite State, though he continues to oppose adding a legal commercial cannabis sales component.

Separately, a New Hampshire Senate committee in March heard testimony on a House-passed bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. But it was ultimately tabled in the full chamber.

In May, the governor also signed a bill adding insomnia and autism spectrum disorder as medical cannabis qualifying conditions.

Earlier this year, the House passed legislation to let medical cannabis patients grow their own medicine, but it did not clear the Senate.

 

[momofthegoons]

New Hampshire Lawmakers File Multiple Marijuana Legalization Bills Ahead Of 2022 Session​

New Hampshire lawmakers are getting ready for a busy legislative session when it comes to marijuana policy, with several legalization proposals being unveiled in recent days—including one from a key Republican committee chairman and other leaders.

At least six measures to legalize cannabis for adult use have been pre-filed for 2022 in the Granite State. Three of those seek to put the question of reform directly before voters on next year’s ballot.

One of the more notable proposals that’s already received some pushback from advocates is being sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), the chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety who has opposed past marijuana reform bills but says he’d be open to the policy change if it’s done “correctly” in his view.

That legislation, HB 1598, would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to four ounces of cannabis from state-run dispensaries operated by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. Home cultivation would continue to be criminalized—one of the chief complaints from activists.

Another concern for advocates is the lack of social equity provisions like expunging prior cannabis convictions. In fact, having a state or federal felony conviction related to a controlled substance disqualifies people from working in the industry under the bill.

Gifting cannabis within the possession limit would be permitted under the bill, which is being cosponsored by House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R). There would also be restrictions on public consumption and advertising.

After covering administrative costs, revenue from cannabis sales, fees and penalties would be earmarked for “evidence-based, voluntary programs for substance misuse-related education, prevention, treatment, and recovery.” It would also support public safety agencies.

In the fiscal analysis attached to the bill, the State Police offered a somewhat perplexing assessment of the cost of the reform for law enforcement.

The agency “indicates the impact to law enforcement in general would increase” because the bill “would likely result in an increase in impaired drivers, toxicology testing, black market sales and the investigation of crimes related to Cannabis Establishments,” it says.

Advocates would push back against the analysis overall, but the idea that creating a regulated market for marijuana would drive up sales on the illicit market is especially counterintuitive.

Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot.

It would take a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers to advance any of the proposed constitutional amendments. But while that may be a tall task in the GOP-controlled legislature, if they’re successful, it would enable lawmakers to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

Voters would be asked whether to adopt the following language to the state Constitution if the measures advance through the legislature:

Adjutant: “The general court of this state shall make no law infringing on the right to the use, sale, or cultivation of cannabis for persons over 18 years of age.”

Cushing: “All adults shall have the right to possess cannabis intended for their personal consumption.”

Prout: “All adults have the right to possess, use, and cultivate cannabis; subject to regulations or taxes on commercial activity as the general court may impose.”

Should legislators approve placing a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.

Reps. Timothy Egan (D) and Stacie-Marie Laughton (D) have also each pre-filed legalizationbills for next year.

Separately, standalone legalization legislation that’s been retained from this year is set to be taken up when lawmakers reconvene early in 2022, and advocates are hopeful that it will advance based on prior votes in the House. The chamber passed a legalization bill last year, but it died in a Senate committee.

“Representatives who support legalization will have several options to choose from in 2022,” Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of New Hampshire, told Marijuana Moment. “It will be interesting to see which ideas gain traction and which ones don’t.”

There are also new 2022 bills to expand the state’s existing law that decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession and to prevent police from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for a search.

While the governor remains opposed to adult-use legalization, advocates are encouraged that he signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.

In 2017, Sununu signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession in the Granite State, though he continues to oppose adding a legal commercial cannabis sales component.

Separately, a New Hampshire Senate committee in March heard testimony on a House-passed bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. But it was ultimately tabled in the full chamber.

Meanwhile, other nearby northeast states such as Maine and Vermont have already legalized recreational cannabis.

 

[Tincandtoke]

New Hampshire Lawmakers File Multiple Marijuana Legalization Bills Ahead Of 2022 Session​

New Hampshire lawmakers are getting ready for a busy legislative session when it comes to marijuana policy, with several legalization proposals being unveiled in recent days—including one from a key Republican committee chairman and other leaders.

At least six measures to legalize cannabis for adult use have been pre-filed for 2022 in the Granite State. Three of those seek to put the question of reform directly before voters on next year’s ballot.

One of the more notable proposals that’s already received some pushback from advocates is being sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), the chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety who has opposed past marijuana reform bills but says he’d be open to the policy change if it’s done “correctly” in his view.

That legislation, HB 1598, would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to four ounces of cannabis from state-run dispensaries operated by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. Home cultivation would continue to be criminalized—one of the chief complaints from activists.

Another concern for advocates is the lack of social equity provisions like expunging prior cannabis convictions. In fact, having a state or federal felony conviction related to a controlled substance disqualifies people from working in the industry under the bill.

Gifting cannabis within the possession limit would be permitted under the bill, which is being cosponsored by House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R). There would also be restrictions on public consumption and advertising.

After covering administrative costs, revenue from cannabis sales, fees and penalties would be earmarked for “evidence-based, voluntary programs for substance misuse-related education, prevention, treatment, and recovery.” It would also support public safety agencies.

In the fiscal analysis attached to the bill, the State Police offered a somewhat perplexing assessment of the cost of the reform for law enforcement.

The agency “indicates the impact to law enforcement in general would increase” because the bill “would likely result in an increase in impaired drivers, toxicology testing, black market sales and the investigation of crimes related to Cannabis Establishments,” it says.

Advocates would push back against the analysis overall, but the idea that creating a regulated market for marijuana would drive up sales on the illicit market is especially counterintuitive.

Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot.

It would take a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers to advance any of the proposed constitutional amendments. But while that may be a tall task in the GOP-controlled legislature, if they’re successful, it would enable lawmakers to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

Voters would be asked whether to adopt the following language to the state Constitution if the measures advance through the legislature:

Adjutant: “The general court of this state shall make no law infringing on the right to the use, sale, or cultivation of cannabis for persons over 18 years of age.”

Cushing: “All adults shall have the right to possess cannabis intended for their personal consumption.”

Prout: “All adults have the right to possess, use, and cultivate cannabis; subject to regulations or taxes on commercial activity as the general court may impose.”

Should legislators approve placing a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.

Reps. Timothy Egan (D) and Stacie-Marie Laughton (D) have also each pre-filed legalizationbills for next year.

Separately, standalone legalization legislation that’s been retained from this year is set to be taken up when lawmakers reconvene early in 2022, and advocates are hopeful that it will advance based on prior votes in the House. The chamber passed a legalization bill last year, but it died in a Senate committee.

“Representatives who support legalization will have several options to choose from in 2022,” Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of New Hampshire, told Marijuana Moment. “It will be interesting to see which ideas gain traction and which ones don’t.”

There are also new 2022 bills to expand the state’s existing law that decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession and to prevent police from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for a search.

While the governor remains opposed to adult-use legalization, advocates are encouraged that he signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.

In 2017, Sununu signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession in the Granite State, though he continues to oppose adding a legal commercial cannabis sales component.

Separately, a New Hampshire Senate committee in March heard testimony on a House-passed bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. But it was ultimately tabled in the full chamber.

Meanwhile, other nearby northeast states such as Maine and Vermont have already legalized recreational cannabis.

Surrounded by legal states and getting laughed at fiscally
The stupid....

 

[momofthegoons]

GOP-Controlled New Hampshire House Votes To Legalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation​

The GOP-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to legalize marijuana possession and personal cultivation for adults.

Members passed the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Carol McGuire (R), in a 241-113 vote. This comes one day after the chamber narrowly rejected a separate, broader legalization proposal that would have regulated commercial production and sales.

The approved measure that is now advancing to the Senate will not allow cannabis commerce, but adults 21 and older would be allowed to possess and give away up to three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants, three of which could be mature.

The bill is virtually identical to an earlier version that also passed the House under Democratic control in 2020. The previous bill died in Senate committee.



“It is not—and never has been—the job of government to try to protect you from hurting yourself,” Rep. Max Abramson (R) said ahead of Thursday’s vote. “And outside of the 1950s B horror movies, it has never been the job of government to protect you from a plant.”

Under the measure, there are penalties for public consumption, violating restrictions on home cultivation such as by growing in a publicly visible space and extracting cannabis in a dangerous manner.

“This is truly a bipartisan issue with strong and wide support from Granite Staters,” Rep. Mark Warden (R) said. “The war on cannabis is a war on people. Those people are our neighbors and our constituents.”

New Hampshire lawmakers have had their pick of marijuana reform legislation, with at least six new cannabis legalization proposals having been recently filed for the 2022 session. On Wednesday, the chamber defeated one bill that would have established a retail market for adult-use cannabis.

Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), the chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety, introduced legislation to allow adults to possess and purchase marijuana from state-run dispensaries.

Before Thursday’s vote, Abbas complained about the process, urging members to take more time to review, hold public hearings and unify the competing measures instead of advancing the noncommercial legalization bill.

“In order for us to put forward the best bill possible, we cannot just keep passing all these bills that have inconsistent possession limits,” he said. “It would create confusion amongst the public, and it sends mixed messages, messages on the on the exact policy you want to put forward.”

Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot.

It would take a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers to advance any of the proposed constitutional amendments. But while that may be a tall task in the GOP-controlled legislature, if they’re successful, it would enable lawmakers to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

Should legislators approve placing a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.

There are also new 2022 bills to expand the state’s existing law that decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession and to prevent police from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for a search. Bills to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and more widely reduce penalties for non-violent drug offenses have also been introduced.

While the governor remains opposed to adult-use legalization, advocates are encouraged that he signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.

In 2017, Sununu signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession in the Granite State, though he continues to oppose adding a legal commercial cannabis sales component.

Separately, a New Hampshire Senate committee in March heard testimony on a House-passed bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. But it was ultimately tabled in the full chamber.

In 2019, lawmakers sent a medical cannabis homegrow bill to Sununu’s desk, but he vetoed it.

Meanwhile, other nearby northeast states such as Maine and Vermont have already legalized recreational cannabis.

 

[Tincandtoke]

GOP-Controlled New Hampshire House Votes To Legalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation​

The GOP-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to legalize marijuana possession and personal cultivation for adults.

Members passed the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Carol McGuire (R), in a 241-113 vote. This comes one day after the chamber narrowly rejected a separate, broader legalization proposal that would have regulated commercial production and sales.

The approved measure that is now advancing to the Senate will not allow cannabis commerce, but adults 21 and older would be allowed to possess and give away up to three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants, three of which could be mature.

The bill is virtually identical to an earlier version that also passed the House under Democratic control in 2020. The previous bill died in Senate committee.



“It is not—and never has been—the job of government to try to protect you from hurting yourself,” Rep. Max Abramson (R) said ahead of Thursday’s vote. “And outside of the 1950s B horror movies, it has never been the job of government to protect you from a plant.”

Under the measure, there are penalties for public consumption, violating restrictions on home cultivation such as by growing in a publicly visible space and extracting cannabis in a dangerous manner.

“This is truly a bipartisan issue with strong and wide support from Granite Staters,” Rep. Mark Warden (R) said. “The war on cannabis is a war on people. Those people are our neighbors and our constituents.”

New Hampshire lawmakers have had their pick of marijuana reform legislation, with at least six new cannabis legalization proposals having been recently filed for the 2022 session. On Wednesday, the chamber defeated one bill that would have established a retail market for adult-use cannabis.

Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), the chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety, introduced legislation to allow adults to possess and purchase marijuana from state-run dispensaries.

Before Thursday’s vote, Abbas complained about the process, urging members to take more time to review, hold public hearings and unify the competing measures instead of advancing the noncommercial legalization bill.

“In order for us to put forward the best bill possible, we cannot just keep passing all these bills that have inconsistent possession limits,” he said. “It would create confusion amongst the public, and it sends mixed messages, messages on the on the exact policy you want to put forward.”

Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot.

It would take a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers to advance any of the proposed constitutional amendments. But while that may be a tall task in the GOP-controlled legislature, if they’re successful, it would enable lawmakers to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

Should legislators approve placing a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.

There are also new 2022 bills to expand the state’s existing law that decriminalizes low-level cannabis possession and to prevent police from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for a search. Bills to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and more widely reduce penalties for non-violent drug offenses have also been introduced.

While the governor remains opposed to adult-use legalization, advocates are encouraged that he signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.

In 2017, Sununu signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession in the Granite State, though he continues to oppose adding a legal commercial cannabis sales component.

Separately, a New Hampshire Senate committee in March heard testimony on a House-passed bill to allow medical marijuana patients to grow a limited number of plants for personal use. But it was ultimately tabled in the full chamber.

In 2019, lawmakers sent a medical cannabis homegrow bill to Sununu’s desk, but he vetoed it.

Meanwhile, other nearby northeast states such as Maine and Vermont have already legalized recreational cannabis.

Sununu is the worst
His father was a despicable human being and he is just as evil
His pretend moral objection is a joke given his history of polysubstance abuse
He will veto it
They are several votes short of an over ride

 

[Baron23]

“It is not—and never has been—the job of government to try to protect you from hurting yourself,” Rep. Max Abramson (R) said ahead of Thursday’s vote. “And outside of the 1950s B horror movies, it has never been the job of government to protect you from a plant.”

I loved this line...and loved Little Shop of Horrors....and this was from a Republican of all things. Are pigs flying yet? haha

 

[Baron23]

and off the citizens of NH go...to Maine, Vermont, or Massachusetts. Because people don't give a flying fuck what their paternal politicians say when they disregard the electorate's will and desires.

New Hampshire Senate votes down plan to allow small amounts of legal marijuana​

Supporters say legalization would bring NH in line with other New England states​

Any hope for some form of marijuana legalization this year in Concord went up in smoke Thursday in the state Senate.

A bipartisan majority of state senators shot down a proposal that would have made legal the possession of up to three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana and cannabis-infused products with no more than 300 milligrams of THC.

"The problem with this amendment, for those of you who want to legalize marijuana, you haven't done it right," said Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley.

"You don't have any structure for selling it. You don't have any upper limits for THC. The laws for alcohol and marijuana proposed in this amendment for under age 21 are problematic."

Supporters of the proposal said the narrow legalization would bring New Hampshire more in line with its New England neighbors.
"This is a very limited step where I think we can consider all of the data that's in front of us," said state Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth.
"I think we can listen to our constituents and make sure we're following the science."

Progressive Democrats contend that drug laws are unevenly enforced in New Hampshire, with action taken disproportionately against people of color.
"That means that the legalization of marijuana is a racial justice issue," said state Sen. Becky Whitley, D-Hopkinton.

For now, the line appears to have been drawn in New Hampshire at decriminalization of small amounts of cannabis and medical marijuana. Some senators said they want Congress to settle the legalization issue, and until it's resolved there, they won't put their constituents at risk of violating federal law.

"And we know in that fight, we know who's going to win, and it's not going to be us," said state Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry.

"The people are the ones that are going to be hurt by what we do here today. Maybe they'll all have smoked so much pot they're not going to care; they'll be oblivious. But we care."

 

[Baron23]

Apparently the NH state senators think their borders with Maine, Vermont, or Massachusetts are like the Berlin Wall. No matter what their politicians do, NH's people will get MJ with a fairly short drive. Vast majority of the electorate supports legalization....so, IMO they should tell their state senators to:

New Hampshire Senate Rejects Marijuana Legalization Again As Part Of Amended Bill


The New Hampshire Senate on Thursday defeated a bill that was amended in the House to include language legalizing the possession and home cultivation of marijuana for adult use.


Cannabis reform has been a struggle in the Senate, with the chamber separately rejecting the GOP-led standalone home grow bill as well as a measure to create a state-run marijuana market late last month.


In an attempt to give the Senate “another chance” to pass the non-commercial cannabis bill HB 629, members of the House adopted an amendment last week to include its language in a criminal justice-related measure SB 299, which had already cleared the chamber.


But the Senate declined to take that opportunity, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans to vote 15-9 not to concur with the amended SB 299 on Thursday.


Rep. Carol McGuire (R) is the sponsor of HB 629, which moved through the House and also advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee with an ought to pass recommendation last month before being rejected on the floor.


The Senate was given three options with respect to the amended bill with the legalization language: concur, non-concur and request a conference committee or non-concur and not request a conference committee. As advocates expected, the body went with that last option.


Prior to the vote, Sen. Becky Whitley (D) spoke in favor of the reform measure, saying that it “gives us another opportunity to listen to the vast majority of our constituents.”


“This is an issue that young people care deeply about because they understand the nuance of it,” she said. “We have a problem in New Hampshire of attracting young people to come and move to our state to start families, to participate in our workforce. We’re not listening to our constituents and we are further impairing our ability to have a robust workforce.”


Sen. Jay Kahn (D), for his part, said that he thinks that members are “painting ourselves into a corner here by non-concurring.”


“I think that there is opportunity to look at the components of this bill to consider each component separately—separate out the home grow and consider the legalization or at least non-penalty of small possession, which this bill provides for,” he said. “And I think that that’s what a committee of conference can do. I think that that’s the appropriate position for this body.”


Here’s what HB 629, which was attached to SB 299, would have accomplished:


Adults 21 and older could possess up to three-fourths of an ounce of cannabis for personal use.


They could further grow up to six plants—only three of which could be mature—in a secure location out of sight from other properties.


Cannabis gifting of up to three-fourths of an ounces of marijuana or up to three immature plants would be permitted between adults 21 and older.


Processing marijuana into cannabis-infused products, including edibles and tinctures, would be permitted as well.


Public consumption would be prohibited and carry a civil penalty of $100.


Adults who violate cultivation rules by, for example, growing plants visible to other properties would face a maximum $750 fine.


The bill as drafted was nearly identical to an earlier version that also passed the House under Democratic control in 2020 but which was defeated in the Senate at the committee stage.


As it stands, possessing up to three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana is decriminalized in New Hampshire, punishable by a $100 fine for a first offense and escalating for subsequent offenses. Home cultivation remains prohibited, however, even for medical cannabis patients.


Meanwhile, with respect to the state-run marijuana bill that the Senate also recently defeated, advocates and stakeholders have raised concerns about the idea of the proposed model, which would be unlike any other cannabis market that’s currently in place in other states.


But notably, the legislation earned some praise from Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who despite being a historically outspoken opponent of adult-use legalization, said recently that reform “could be inevitable” in the state and that HB 1598 is “the right bill and the right structure.”


“So if you are ever going to do it, do that bill,” he said.


The governor added in a separate recent interview that he’s “not fully committal” in his longstanding opposition to legalization.


Nearly three in four New Hampshire voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a recent poll. And bipartisan majorities also say they’re in favor of conducting cannabis sales through a state-run model.


Reform supporters have spent years working with the GOP-controlled legislature to craft thoughtful legislation to end cannabis criminalization, though diverging viewpoints and resistance from Republican leadership has consistently derailed the reform.


Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot. Cushing, who served as House Democratic leader, passed away recently after a battle with cancer.


The House defeated Prout’s proposed constitutional amendment and voted to table the two other measures.


In order to have advanced any of the proposed constitutional amendments, it would have taken a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers. If any of the constitutional amendments were enacted, it would have enabled legislators to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Sununu.


If legislators had ultimately moved to place a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have needed to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.


The governor’s opposition to adult-use legalization has been a constant source of contention. However, advocates were glad that he at least signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.


In 2019, lawmakers sent a medical cannabis home grow bill to Sununu’s desk, but he vetoed it.


The state House separately tabled a bill in March that would have decriminalized possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

 

[Tincandtoke]

Apparently the NH state senators think their borders with Maine, Vermont, or Massachusetts are like the Berlin Wall. No matter what their politicians do, NH's people will get MJ with a fairly short drive. Vast majority of the electorate supports legalization....so, IMO they should tell their state senators to:

View attachment 36809


New Hampshire Senate Rejects Marijuana Legalization Again As Part Of Amended Bill


The New Hampshire Senate on Thursday defeated a bill that was amended in the House to include language legalizing the possession and home cultivation of marijuana for adult use.


Cannabis reform has been a struggle in the Senate, with the chamber separately rejecting the GOP-led standalone home grow bill as well as a measure to create a state-run marijuana market late last month.


In an attempt to give the Senate “another chance” to pass the non-commercial cannabis bill HB 629, members of the House adopted an amendment last week to include its language in a criminal justice-related measure SB 299, which had already cleared the chamber.


But the Senate declined to take that opportunity, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans to vote 15-9 not to concur with the amended SB 299 on Thursday.


Rep. Carol McGuire (R) is the sponsor of HB 629, which moved through the House and also advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee with an ought to pass recommendation last month before being rejected on the floor.


The Senate was given three options with respect to the amended bill with the legalization language: concur, non-concur and request a conference committee or non-concur and not request a conference committee. As advocates expected, the body went with that last option.


Prior to the vote, Sen. Becky Whitley (D) spoke in favor of the reform measure, saying that it “gives us another opportunity to listen to the vast majority of our constituents.”


“This is an issue that young people care deeply about because they understand the nuance of it,” she said. “We have a problem in New Hampshire of attracting young people to come and move to our state to start families, to participate in our workforce. We’re not listening to our constituents and we are further impairing our ability to have a robust workforce.”


Sen. Jay Kahn (D), for his part, said that he thinks that members are “painting ourselves into a corner here by non-concurring.”


“I think that there is opportunity to look at the components of this bill to consider each component separately—separate out the home grow and consider the legalization or at least non-penalty of small possession, which this bill provides for,” he said. “And I think that that’s what a committee of conference can do. I think that that’s the appropriate position for this body.”


Here’s what HB 629, which was attached to SB 299, would have accomplished:


Adults 21 and older could possess up to three-fourths of an ounce of cannabis for personal use.


They could further grow up to six plants—only three of which could be mature—in a secure location out of sight from other properties.


Cannabis gifting of up to three-fourths of an ounces of marijuana or up to three immature plants would be permitted between adults 21 and older.


Processing marijuana into cannabis-infused products, including edibles and tinctures, would be permitted as well.


Public consumption would be prohibited and carry a civil penalty of $100.


Adults who violate cultivation rules by, for example, growing plants visible to other properties would face a maximum $750 fine.


The bill as drafted was nearly identical to an earlier version that also passed the House under Democratic control in 2020 but which was defeated in the Senate at the committee stage.


As it stands, possessing up to three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana is decriminalized in New Hampshire, punishable by a $100 fine for a first offense and escalating for subsequent offenses. Home cultivation remains prohibited, however, even for medical cannabis patients.


Meanwhile, with respect to the state-run marijuana bill that the Senate also recently defeated, advocates and stakeholders have raised concerns about the idea of the proposed model, which would be unlike any other cannabis market that’s currently in place in other states.


But notably, the legislation earned some praise from Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who despite being a historically outspoken opponent of adult-use legalization, said recently that reform “could be inevitable” in the state and that HB 1598 is “the right bill and the right structure.”


“So if you are ever going to do it, do that bill,” he said.


The governor added in a separate recent interview that he’s “not fully committal” in his longstanding opposition to legalization.


Nearly three in four New Hampshire voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a recent poll. And bipartisan majorities also say they’re in favor of conducting cannabis sales through a state-run model.


Reform supporters have spent years working with the GOP-controlled legislature to craft thoughtful legislation to end cannabis criminalization, though diverging viewpoints and resistance from Republican leadership has consistently derailed the reform.


Meanwhile, three lawmakers—Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)—each filed separate bills to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2022 ballot. Cushing, who served as House Democratic leader, passed away recently after a battle with cancer.


The House defeated Prout’s proposed constitutional amendment and voted to table the two other measures.


In order to have advanced any of the proposed constitutional amendments, it would have taken a supermajority 60 percent vote in both chambers. If any of the constitutional amendments were enacted, it would have enabled legislators to avoid a likely veto on statutory reform legislation from anti-legalization Sununu.


If legislators had ultimately moved to place a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis on the ballot, 67 percent of voters would then have needed to vote in favor for it to be enacted. Recent polling indicates that residents are ready for the reform, with three in four New Hampshirites favoring legalization.


The governor’s opposition to adult-use legalization has been a constant source of contention. However, advocates were glad that he at least signed a bill in August adding opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program and also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries.


In 2019, lawmakers sent a medical cannabis home grow bill to Sununu’s desk, but he vetoed it.


The state House separately tabled a bill in March that would have decriminalized possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3o85xnoIXebk3xYx4Q" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="">via GIPHY</a></p>

 

[Baron23]

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3o85xnoIXebk3xYx4Q" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="">via GIPHY</a></p>

If I were that gal, I'd give that asshole a knee right to the Oompa-Loompas

wanna cancel someone for abuse...how about Ramsey.

Ok, back to your regular programming. haha

 

[Tincandtoke]

If I were that gal, I'd give that asshole a knee right to the Oompa-Loompas

wanna cancel someone for abuse...how about Ramsey.

Ok, back to your regular programming. haha

Its a running joke
They give up millions in revenue
So much money leaves the state
There is a retailer seconds away from the border in Tyngsboro Ma.
Pounds move across the Maine NH border every day


Ramsay is just smoke and mirrors
I believe back in his homeland he is considered just a failed footballer who can make Bolognese

 

[Baron23]

Seven In Ten New Hampshire Residents Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Shows One Day After House Passes Reform Measure​

New Hampshire residents broadly support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll that was released one day after the state House of Representatives passed a bill to enact the policy change.

Seventy-one percent of respondents in the survey published by the University of New Hampshire on Thursday said they support “legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal recreational use”—with 56 percent saying they “strongly” feel that way.

Support transcends party lines, with 86 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of independents on board.

Just 18 percent of New Hampshire residents oppose legalization, according to the Granite State Poll.

Support has grown significantly since the university first posed the question in 2013, with only 49 percent saying then that they supported legalization. That said, backing for the reform has dipped a few points in recent years from when 75 percent were in favor in 2021.




The survey involved interviews with 863 New Hampshire residents between February 176-20 and has am margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.

Cannabis legalization legislation, which is being sponsored by Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm (D), was approved by the House in a 234-127 vote on Wednesday.

Members of the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Liquor Subcommittee had spent weeks working the proposal over a series of meetings, going back and forth about a variety of provisions and making amendments to the original measure.

A major change made to the legislation from its introduced form would put the state’s existing Liquor Commission in charge of regulating the marijuana market, rather than create a new independent commission to do so, as was proposed in the original version of HB 639. The body would also be renamed the Liquor and Cannabis Commission.

Advocates are disappointed that provisions allowing home grow and to annul prior cannabis convictions have been removed from the bill as filed, but it was viewed as a necessary compromise for the legislation to have a chance of being enacted this session.

The bill will next head to the House Ways & Means Committee, before heading back to the floor and then potentially going to the Senate for consideration.

Here’s what HB 639 as amended would accomplish:

Adults 21 and older would be able to purchase, possess and gift up to four ounces of cannabis.

The newly renamed Liquor and Cannabis Commission would be responsible for regulating the marijuana market and issuing business licenses.​

​

There would not be any statewide cap on the number of marijuana businesses that could be licensed.​

​

Within 18 months of enactment, the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and commission would need to develop regulations allowing existing medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for dual licenses to start serving adult consumers.​

​

Cannabis cultivators would be taxed at 15 percent of their monthly gross revenue.​

​

Eighty percent of tax revenue would support an education trust fund, 10 percent will fund substance misuse treatment programs, five percent would go to localities that have at least one operational retailer and five percent (up to $1 million) would support public agencies like police and fire departments.​

​

Localities could limit or ban marijuana businesses from operating in their area.​

​

There would be employment protections for state or local government workers who use marijuana off the job. Professional and occupational licenses couldn’t be denied or withdrawn because a person uses cannabis.​

​

Marijuana companies could deduct business expenses from their taxes at the state level.​

​

There are no provisions to allow home cultivation or annul prior cannabis convictions.​

 

[Tincandtoke]

Don't worry.....

 

[Baron23]

New Hampshire House Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill For Second Time, Sending It To Senate​

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved a bill to legalize marijuana for a second time this session, sending it to the Senate.

The proposal, which is being sponsored by Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm (D), cleared the chamber in a 272-109 vote on Thursday. Earlier in the day the body rejected an amendment that would have added separate legalization language to budget legislation.

HB 639, the bill that is now heading to the Senate, already got approval from the full House in February, but it needed to go to the Ways & Means Committee, where it was amended last month, before returning to the floor for final passage.

Osborne said in a press release that he is “pleased to see New Hampshire take a step toward relieving gangsters and thugs from control of this market, keeping dangerous untested products away from consumers, and protecting children from harmful age-inappropriate products.”

Wilhelm said that “with the decisive passage of HB 639, the New Hampshire House has sent a strong message that this is the year to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Granite State.

“Every year we fail to legalize marijuana, the state wastes valuable resources and ruins the lives of many young and poor Granite Staters by enforcing failed prohibition,” he said. “New Hampshire remains the only state in New England that has failed to legalize cannabis, while our neighbors benefit from increased revenue and their cannabis users benefit from safer testing and regulation of the product. Legalization of adult possession of small amounts of cannabis is the right thing to do for New Hampshire and we must get it done in 2023.”

Rep. Walter Spilsbury (R) said on the floor ahead of the vote that “the time is long past due to allow legal private enterprise in cannabis and cannabis products to develop successfully in the state of New Hampshire, subject to appropriate regulation and taxation.”

A majority report from the Ways & Means Committee says that it is hard to estimate tax revenues with confidence, but that members assume they will be “negligible” for the first two years and will build up over time.

“Judging from experiences of other states that have preceded us, prospects for growth are considerable and may rise sharply thereafter, offering some hope that this new source of state revenue can help alleviate the burden of education funding on real property taxes,” it says.

Earlier in the session, members of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee had spent weeks working the proposal over a series of meetings, going back and forth about a variety of provisions and making amendments to the original measure.

Here’s what HB 639 as amended would accomplish:

Adults 21 and older would be able to purchase, possess and gift up to four ounces of cannabis.​

​

The newly renamed Liquor and Cannabis Commission would be responsible for regulating the marijuana market and issuing business licenses.​

​

There would not be any statewide cap on the number of marijuana businesses that could be licensed.​

​

Within 18 months of enactment, the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and commission would need to develop regulations allowing existing medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for dual licenses to start serving adult consumers.​

​

Cannabis would be taxed in the amount of 12.5 percent of of products’ value in their final form at the wholesale level.​

​

After the costs of legalization implementation are covered, $100,000 of revenue would fund data collection and reporting on health impacts of cannabis prohibition and cannabis regulation.​

​

Of remaining funds after that, 50 percent would be disbursed to cities and towns to offset the education tax, 30 percent would be credited to the New Hampshire retirement system to offset its unfunded accrued liability, 10 percent or $25 million (whichever is less) would fund substance use programs, 5 percent would be used to hire and train drug recognition experts and 5 percent would support children’s behavioral health services.​

​

Localities could limit or ban marijuana businesses from operating in their area.​

​

There would be employment protections for state or local government workers who use marijuana off the job. Professional and occupational licenses couldn’t be denied or withdrawn because a person uses cannabis.​

​

Marijuana companies could deduct business expenses from their taxes at the state level.​

​

There are no provisions to allow home cultivation or annul prior cannabis convictions​

 

[Tincandtoke]

New Hampshire House Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill For Second Time, Sending It To Senate​

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved a bill to legalize marijuana for a second time this session, sending it to the Senate.

The proposal, which is being sponsored by Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm (D), cleared the chamber in a 272-109 vote on Thursday. Earlier in the day the body rejected an amendment that would have added separate legalization language to budget legislation.

HB 639, the bill that is now heading to the Senate, already got approval from the full House in February, but it needed to go to the Ways & Means Committee, where it was amended last month, before returning to the floor for final passage.

Osborne said in a press release that he is “pleased to see New Hampshire take a step toward relieving gangsters and thugs from control of this market, keeping dangerous untested products away from consumers, and protecting children from harmful age-inappropriate products.”

Wilhelm said that “with the decisive passage of HB 639, the New Hampshire House has sent a strong message that this is the year to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Granite State.

“Every year we fail to legalize marijuana, the state wastes valuable resources and ruins the lives of many young and poor Granite Staters by enforcing failed prohibition,” he said. “New Hampshire remains the only state in New England that has failed to legalize cannabis, while our neighbors benefit from increased revenue and their cannabis users benefit from safer testing and regulation of the product. Legalization of adult possession of small amounts of cannabis is the right thing to do for New Hampshire and we must get it done in 2023.”

Rep. Walter Spilsbury (R) said on the floor ahead of the vote that “the time is long past due to allow legal private enterprise in cannabis and cannabis products to develop successfully in the state of New Hampshire, subject to appropriate regulation and taxation.”

A majority report from the Ways & Means Committee says that it is hard to estimate tax revenues with confidence, but that members assume they will be “negligible” for the first two years and will build up over time.

“Judging from experiences of other states that have preceded us, prospects for growth are considerable and may rise sharply thereafter, offering some hope that this new source of state revenue can help alleviate the burden of education funding on real property taxes,” it says.

Earlier in the session, members of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee had spent weeks working the proposal over a series of meetings, going back and forth about a variety of provisions and making amendments to the original measure.

Here’s what HB 639 as amended would accomplish:

Adults 21 and older would be able to purchase, possess and gift up to four ounces of cannabis.​

​

The newly renamed Liquor and Cannabis Commission would be responsible for regulating the marijuana market and issuing business licenses.​

​

There would not be any statewide cap on the number of marijuana businesses that could be licensed.​

​

Within 18 months of enactment, the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and commission would need to develop regulations allowing existing medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for dual licenses to start serving adult consumers.​

​

Cannabis would be taxed in the amount of 12.5 percent of of products’ value in their final form at the wholesale level.​

​

After the costs of legalization implementation are covered, $100,000 of revenue would fund data collection and reporting on health impacts of cannabis prohibition and cannabis regulation.​

​

Of remaining funds after that, 50 percent would be disbursed to cities and towns to offset the education tax, 30 percent would be credited to the New Hampshire retirement system to offset its unfunded accrued liability, 10 percent or $25 million (whichever is less) would fund substance use programs, 5 percent would be used to hire and train drug recognition experts and 5 percent would support children’s behavioral health services.​

​

Localities could limit or ban marijuana businesses from operating in their area.​

​

There would be employment protections for state or local government workers who use marijuana off the job. Professional and occupational licenses couldn’t be denied or withdrawn because a person uses cannabis.​

​

Marijuana companies could deduct business expenses from their taxes at the state level.​

​

There are no provisions to allow home cultivation or annul prior cannabis convictions​

The governor will do everything he can to stop this unless they paid him off
Comes from a long line of corrupt families and his father was one of the worst people to walk the earth
Every bordering state laughs at us
They will price themselves out of the market with all the taxes....umm, I mean fees