New Hampshire Lawmakers Announce Adult-Use Marijuana Legalization Bill

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the New Hampshire House of Representatives has announced plans to introduce a bill legalizing adult-use cannabis.

Majority leader of the House of Representatives, Jason Osborne, told NHPR, "The House has long united and worked together to find a way to get the job done for the people of Granite State. If we're lucky, the Senate will support the will of the vast majority of citizens of New Hampshire.

According to news media reports, although the legislation has not yet been officially introduced, it has already received support from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Americans for Prosperity.

According to NHPR, the proposal would allow adults aged 21 and older to possess or gift up to 4 ounces of marijuana and ultimately establish a licensed, commercial adult-use market with state-licensed dispensaries. The legislation would also include home-growing provisions, allowing adults aged 21 and older to cultivate up to six plants, including up to three mature plants.

According to a report by NHPR, the bill will also impose an 8.5% sales tax on retail marijuana sales, with the generated revenue going towards national pensions and drug abuse prevention programs. A portion of the income will also be designated for law enforcement agencies and municipal authorities with pharmacies.

The Democratic leader of the House, Matt Wilhelm, told NHPR that "legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults is the right thing to do for New Hampshire, and we must accomplish it by 2023." He added that users of marijuana in the state's legal market "benefit from the testing and regulation of safer products.

Although the House of Representatives has repeatedly supported measures to legalize adult use of marijuana - most recently approving legislation in March allowing state-run liquor stores to sell marijuana - the Senate has thwarted these efforts.

Governor Chris Sununu may also impede efforts to reform the state's marijuana policies.

As previously reported by Cannabis Business Times, Sununu supports the decriminalization, removal, and medical marijuana plan in New Hampshire, but his voting record on patient access is mixed.

In 2019, Sununu vetoed a bill that would have ended the requirement for patients to establish a relationship with a supplier for at least three months before obtaining medical marijuana certification.