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New Hampshire Moves Towards Decriminalization

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DecriminalizationNew England has so far shown itself to be a safe haven for legal cannabis, and now New Hampshire is getting on board by taking serious steps towards decriminalization.

A recent cannabis decriminalization bill was just approved by legislators. If it is signed into law after a final vote from the state’s House of Representatives, possessing three quarters of an ounce of cannabis would only be viewed as an infraction that is punishable with a $100-$300 fine. There would no longer be no risk of jail time associated with having this amount of cannabis.

The Marijuana Policy Project reports that 85 percent of arrests in New Hampshire are for possession. This costs the state millions of dollars in enforcement fees, even though 60 percent of the state’s voters are in favor of cannabis legalization.

While the bill has yet to be completely finalized, other news sources believe that the final vote is a formality, as Governor Chris Sununu has already promised to sign the bill into law.

“I want to thank the legislature for passing common-sense marijuana reform,” Sununu said. “I look forward to signing House Bill 640 into law.”

Shortly after the bill was initially cleared, Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn noted his confidence that it will continue on a path to success. “The decriminalization of marijuana happened today because Democrats pushed marijuana decriminalization through the legislature—it is a proud progressive achievement that moves New Hampshire forward by creating a serious, sensible pathway to marijuana legalization,” stated Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn. “Given the severity of our state’s opioid, heroin and fentanyl public health crisis, it’s prudent to relieve law enforcement from the burden of processing small marijuana possessions as criminal cases and free up resources to address our most urgent substance misuse cases. I’m very pleased with the outcome of today’s vote; I only wish more of our Republican colleagues could have joined us.”

With New Hampshire well on its way to decriminalization, New England is rapidly solidifying itself as one of the greenest areas in the country.

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