As lawmakers in New Hampshire consider legislation to legalize simple marijuana possession by adults, a new poll of state residents finds 70 percent support for the reform, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents.
The new Granite State Poll, from the University of New Hampshire’s States of Opinion Project, surveyed 1,455 state residents on a range of political topics between April 17 and April 21. As for cannabis legalization, it notes that support has climbed since June of last year, when it stood at 65 percent.
“Generally speaking, 70% of Granite Staters strongly (49%) or somewhat (20%) support legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in New Hampshire,” the poll says, while “9% are neutral or have no opinion, 21% are somewhat (7%) or strongly (15%) opposed, and less than 1% are unsure.”
“Support for legalization has increased slightly since June 2024 (65%) and remains considerably higher than in the mid-2010s,” it continues. “Majorities of Democrats (84%), independents (72%), and Republicans (55%) support legalizing marijuana for personal use.”
The new findings come as the chances for marijuana reform this in New Hampshire hang in the balance. A bill that would legalize simple possession and use—HB 198, from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D)—passed the House in March, but earlier this month the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended the proposal be rejected.
Granite State Poll, University of New Hampshire States of Opinion Project
The full Senate is still set to consider the measure on Thursday and could pass it despite the committee recommendation, but the chamber this session has already scuttled a number of other marijuana bills.
In light of the new poll—and with HB 198 still on the table—Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said it would be “legislative malpractice for senators to vote down simple legalization with such overwhelming support.”
“There’s a cruel irony in the Live Free State continuing to punish adults for using cannabis while every one of its neighbors has legalized it,” she told Marijuana Moment in an email on Friday. “If the Senate fails to pass the bill, maybe it’s time to change New Hampshire’s motto to ‘the Nanny State.’”
If enacted, HB 198 would legalize noncommercial possession and use of marijuana among adults 21 and older, permitting adults to have up to two ounces of marijuana flower, 10 grams of concentrate and up to 2,000 milligrams of THC in other cannabis products.
The proposal would ban public smoking and vaping of marijuana, and driving under the influence of marijuana would remain illegal.
“My goal here is to stop arresting people,” sponsor Sullivan told the committee. “It is 2025. This is something that has been legalized in nearly half the states in the country.”
Sullivan said the proposal was based largely on a legalization measure lawmakers nearly passed last year but without that bill’s regulated commercial system—a controversial issue that ultimately derailed the earlier effort.
“A lot of the disagreements,” the sponsor said, “are generally on how to sell it. This bill doesn’t touch that.”
Earlier this month, the Senate voted to table a separate cannabis legalization bill—HB 75, from Rep. Kevin Verville (R)—that would have removed state penalties around marijuana-related conduct for adults 21 and older. Unlike legalization measures in other states, however, it would not establish a licensed commercial market or a broader regulatory scheme.
The proposal included no limits on marijuana possession or cultivation, and it would have carved out marijuana from the state’s laws against illicit drug sales—provisions even some reform advocates found too permissive.
The full Senate also tabled bills to allow medical cannabis patients to grow plants at home and permit dispensaries to buy hemp-derived cannabinoids on the commercial market.
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee also recently recommended other drug reform bills be scrapped for the session, including proposals to increase medical cannabis possession limits and allow harm reduction organizations to legally use drug testing strips to check substances for contaminants.
The committee also took testimony on three other drug-related bills—including measures that would decriminalize possession of psilocybin, allow greenhouse cultivation by existing medical marijuana businesses and lessen penalties for state-registered patients who illegally sell their marijuana—but did not act on those proposals.
Even if the legislature were to pass a marijuana legalization bill this session, it’s likely the New Hampshire’s governor would stand in the way of the reform. Late last month, Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) reiterated her opposition to legalization in the Granite State.
“I’ve been very clear on this,” she told reporters. “I ran on this issue, and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it. I don’t support it.”
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.
Notably, the new poll found that 49 percent of state residents approve of how Ayotte is doing her job in general, while 38 percent disapprove. But support for the governor was split strongly along party lines.
“Nine in ten (89%) Republicans and 49% percent of Independents approve of Ayotte’s performance,” the report says, “but only 11% of Democrats approve.”
About 1 percent of respondents named the Ayotte’s handling of drug policy as their most important reason for disapproval, while zero percent said her handling of drug policy was the main reason for their approval.
Last legislative session, New Hampshire lawmakers nearly passed a bill that would have legalized and regulated marijuana for adults—a proposal that then-Gov. Chris Sununu (R) had indicated he’d support. But infighting over how the market would be set up ultimately scuttled that measure. 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 last session’s failed legalization bill, HB 1633.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
As lawmakers in New Hampshire consider legislation to legalize simple marijuana possession by adults, a new poll of state residents finds 70 percent support for the reform, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents. The new Granite State Poll, from the University of New Hampshire’s States of Opinion Project, surveyed 1,455 state residents on a Read More
