For the second time this session, the New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal after lawmakers voted 208-125 on Wednesday to advance the bill to the Senate.
House lawmakers last month approved the body’s first legalization bill of the year; the second proposal, HB 198, is a simpler policy that stops short of setting any cannabis retail rules, or even home grow allowances. In fact, while the proposal would still legalize cannabis possession for adults aged 21 and older, it does not offer any legal avenues for acquiring cannabis.
Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), the bill’s primary sponsor, argued that since most people seem to support ending cannabis prohibition in general, and that establishing a regulated marketplace seems to be the more controversial step for many dissenters, it was appropriate to give lawmakers in the Senate another legalization option to consider.
“It is 2025. Let’s stop arresting people and ruining their lives for the possession of cannabis, something that many states in the country have already legalized for possession and in most cases for sale.” — Rep. Sullivan, on the House floor
Even if the Senate chooses to advance the proposal, however, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that she does not support legalizing adult-use cannabis.
