House Clears Bill that Would Legalize Recreational Cannabis in New Hampshire

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]O[/dropcap]n Feb. 27, New Hampshire legislators voted 209-147 to approve a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults aged 21 and older in the state.

House Bill 481 would legalize up to one ounce of cannabis and five grams in its concentrated form for adults. Under the proposal, once residents obtain a permit, they would be allowed to grow up to six cannabis plants per residence. The bill also aims to control the cultivation of hemp. The tax revenue from cannabis would go towards education and drug treatment programs, municipalities and to public safety agencies, for hiring experts on subjects such as driving under the influence.

Matt Simon, New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project provided a response to the decision to The Conway Daily Sun. “The House vote highlights just how little support remains for maintaining marijuana prohibition in the Granite State,” he said. “ … There is no reason to continue punishing adults for consuming a substance that is less harmful than alcohol, and it is counterproductive to force them into a potentially dangerous illegal market to access it.”

Rep. Stephen Pearson, on the other hand, was one of the bill’s opponents and said that he worries that the bill would worsen the drug culture in a state that is already fighting an opioid epidemic.  “We are not going to solve our drug crisis by legalizing more drugs, that is a fundamentally flawed argument,” Pearson said.

Others, like Rep. Carol McGuire argued that cannabis consumers would continue purchasing cannabis regardless of its legal status; with or without the bill becoming law—therefore regulating the potential legal cannabis industry in the state and forming a committee monitoring it is more urgent now than ever. “We’re not really here to decide if marijuana is good or bad. We’re here to decide whether it should be legal or illegal,” McGuire said.

Gov. Chris Sununu announced that he plans to veto the bill if it clears the House and Senate, which would put further pressure on the chambers by forcing it into a fight for a veto override. “We’re surrounded by states where the adult use of marijuana is not against the law,” Cushing said Thursday. “We have to recognize that the prohibition of marijuana is a failed public policy.”