New Hampshire’s House of Representatives has narrowly approved a Republican-led bill that would legalize personal use and possession of marijuana among adults 21 and older, though sales would remain illegal.
On a voice vote Thursday, House members passed HB 75, from Rep. Kevin Verville (R), which would remove state penalties around the use and possession of cannabis but not establish a licensed commercial market or broader regulatory scheme.
Speaking in favor of the measure, Rep. Jodi Newell (D) said she was representing “the overwhelming majority of Granite Staters who implore this body to end the criminalization of cannabis, to end the fear of unnecessary disruption to people’s lives in the event that they find cannabis to be their nighttime sleep aid, their mood enhancer or their morning pick-me-up.”
“I stand asking you once again to pass legislation that would entrust our citizens over the age of 21 with the responsibility to consume cannabis, if they so choose, without fear of retribution from the state,” she said.
Newell noted that her husband died of a heroin overdose, while alcohol killed her brother, “but somehow we still maintain that our citizens cannot be trusted to consume cannabis responsibly, even as we know that it is virtually impossible to consume a lethal amount, and even as we know that cannabis is a much safer alternative to the substances that have taken the lives of my loved ones and likely many of yours.”
Minors would continue to be barred from using marijuana under the bill. People under 21 would be guilty of a violation if found possessing or using the substance, and anyone under 18 would be referred to a screening for substance use disorders. Adults who use marijuana in a public place would also be guilty of a violation.
Prior to the voice vote to pass the measure, House lawmakers rejected a separate motion to designate the proposal “inexpedient to legislate,” which would have effectively scuttled it. That effort failed on a 190–167 margin.
Rep. Terry Roy (R), speaking against the bill, said that “if we decide to legalize marijuana, then we should do it correctly, in an orderly way.”
“I know we’ve tried in 50 different bills over the last few years. Nothing seems to go through, and let me tell you, this one ain’t gonna go through, either,” he said. “Let’s do it smart and do something that takes care of children, has guard rails and protections, not just throw it out there.”
Roy incorrectly claimed that no other state had taken the simple approach that HB 75 would take. In fact, Vermont legalized simple personal possession prior to establishing a regulated market, and Virginia still allows only use, possession and limited home cultivation, with that state’s governor having vetoed lawmakers’ effort to regulate and tax retail sales. (Virginia’s legislature again passed another legal sales bill late last week, though Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) expected to veto that plan, as well.)
Even if Verville’s simple legalization bill proceeds to the desk of New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R), she’s signaled she too will veto the proposal. A former U.S. senator and state attorney general, Ayotte said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that she would oppose efforts at adult-use legalization.
Two other legalization bills are also currently in play in the state, though they also face long odds.
HB 198, from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), would similarly take a simple, unregulated approach to personal use and possession by adults 21 and older, while a separate bill from Sullivan, HB 186, would both legalize personal use and establish a regulated market of state-licensed marijuana businesses.
The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee on Thursday considered HB 186 last month, though it’s currently being held in committee so lawmakers can focus on Sullivan’s simpler legalization bill.
New Hampshire lawmakers nearly passed legislation last session that would have legalized and regulated marijuana for adults—a proposal that then-Gov. Chris Sununu (R) had indicated he’d support. That Republican-sponsored measure had bipartisan support in both legislative chambers, but House Democrats narrowly voted to table it at the last minute, taking issue with the proposal’s state-controlled franchise model, which would have given the state unprecedented sway over retail stores and consumer prices.
A poll from last June found that almost two thirds (65 percent) of New Hampshire residents supported legalizing marijuana. Nearly that same share of residents (61 percent) said at the time that they also supported the failed legalization bill, HB 1633.
Lawmakers this week also considered a separate bill from Verville that would remove criminal penalties for possession, purchase, transport or use of psilocybin by adults 21 and older. Last year, a different New Hampshire House committee declined to move forward with a bill from Verville that would have established a state-regulated therapeutic psychedelic program modeled after the current medical marijuana system.
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The post New Hampshire House Passes Republican-Led Bill To Legalize Marijuana appeared first on Marijuana Moment.
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