New Hampshire Lawmakers Advance Cannabis Legalization Bill

From our friends at Marijuana Policy Project

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on HB 1648 in early February

CONCORD, N.H. — The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee approved a bill Tuesday (13-7) that would legalize possession and limited cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older in New Hampshire. A full House vote on HB 1648 is expected to take place on Thursday, February 6.

HB 1648 would allow adults 21 and over to possess up to three-quarters of an ounce of cannabis, five grams of hashish, and up to 300 mg of cannabis-infused products (currently a violation punishable by a civil fine). It would also permit cultivation of up to six plants (including up to three mature ones) at home in a secure location that is not visible from other properties. A summary of HB 1648 is available here.

The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in 2019, HB 481, that would have legalized cannabis in the state. That bill, which unlike HB 1648 would have created a regulated and taxed market, ultimately died in the Senate after being referred for “interim study” by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Polls published by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center in 2019 found that an overwhelming amount (68%) of Granite Staters are in favor of legalizing cannabis. Notably, support for legalization is more popular than any elected official in the state.

Statement from Matt Simon, New England political director at the Marijuana Policy Project: 

“Like most Granite Staters, this committee understands that it’s time for New Hampshire to stop prohibiting cannabis. Adults in the “Live Free or Die” state should not be punished for their choice to use a substance that is objectively less harmful than alcohol. Now that New Hampshire is literally surrounded by jurisdictions where cannabis is legal for adults, our current policies can no longer be justified in any way. It’s time for the House, Senate, and Gov. Chris Sununu to work together and move cannabis policies into the 21st century.”

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The Marijuana Policy Project is the nation’s largest marijuana policy organization. It has been a leading advocate for federal marijuana policy reforms since its founding in 1995, and it has played a leading role in most major state-level reforms that have occurred over the past two decades. For more information, visit https://www.mpp.org.