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The New Hampshire House of Representatives last week approved legislation to legalize cannabis, the second time in just over a month the chamber has passed a bill to end the prohibition of marijuana.
Lawmakers in the House approved HB 198, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jared Sullivan, by a vote of 208-125 on March 26. If passed by the New Hampshire Senate and signed into law, the legislation would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis flower. The bill would also legalize possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates and other marijuana products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
“It is 2025. Let’s stop arresting people and ruining their lives for possession of cannabis, something that many states in the country have already legalized,” Sullivan said before Wednesday’s vote, according to a report from Marijuana Moment.
The bill would not legalize commercial cannabis production and sales. The public consumption of cannabis would also remain against the law.
The sponsor of the legislation said that lawmakers seem to agree that cannabis should be legalized. The remaining disagreements center on how cannabis sales should be legalized and regulated.
“Once we get it legal, we can continue to have that debate. That seems to be where the sticking points [are]: Do we want it to be a private, industry-based model? Do we want to be a state-run model?” Sullivan asked his colleagues in the House. “These things are where we’re getting kind of caught up in the weeds, and it seems like most people agree that we should legalize it.”
House Passes Two Weed Legalization Bills This Session
The passage of HB 198 came about five weeks after the New Hampshire House passed HB 75, a different bill to legalize the possession of marijuana without authorizing regulated sales of cannabis.
If passed, the bill from Republican Rep. Kevin Verville would remove criminal penalties for possessing and using cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. Like Sullivan’s bill, the legislation would not create a regulated cannabis industry or legalize sales of recreational marijuana. Public consumption of cannabis would also remain illegal.
Marijuana would still be illegal for those under age 21 under Verville’s bill. Those under age 21 caught using or possessing marijuana would be guilty of a violation. Minors under age 18 found to be possessing or using cannabis would be referred for substance use disorders screening.
New Hampshire Governor Opposed To Legalizing Weed
The same day House lawmakers passed HB 198, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who took office in January, repeated her opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana.
“I’ve been very clear on this,” Ayotte told reporters on March 26, Marijuana Moment reported on Monday. “I ran on this issue, and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it. I don’t support it.”
“I don’t think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons,” she told reporters, according to a report from InDepthNH. “I believe, if you think about our quality of life, if you think about some of the concerns that can flow from that. I know…we talked about safety on our roadways. I think that there are a number of issues that states who have legalized cannabis have experienced in those regards that I just don’t think can be addressed at the moment with the existing technology.”
“}]] The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed a bill to legalize marijuana possession for the second time this legislative session. Read More
