Hopes for legalizing marijuana traditionally go up in smoke in New Hampshire, but that’s not stopping some legislators from continuing to pursue the idea.
Rep. Jared Sullivan, D-Bethlehem, has a legalization bill that is pending before the N.H. House’s Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee.
Sullivan predicted Monday his House Bill 186 will win bipartisan support in the panel when it comes up for an initial vote on Oct. 28, and in the full House, which will consider it next year.
But he’s not holding out much hope for its chances in the N.H. Senate, and notes that Gov. Kelly Ayotte also opposes legalization.
“My stance is, listen, we are equal branches of government with the governor and the Senate, and so we should push through what we believe will be the best bill,” Sullivan said.
“It has a very slim chance of passing, but it’s on them to explain to New Hampshire people, 70 percent of whom think it should be legal, why they don’t want to pass it. That’s not on me.”
He was referring to an April poll by the University of New Hampshire of 1,455 state residents showing 70 percent strongly or somewhat support legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
About half the states in the country, and all of the states in New England, have legalized possession.
The House has passed legalization measures over the years only to see them die in the Senate.
HB 186 would allow adults to possess up to 2 ounces of the drug, which would be sold in stores licensed through a state commission that would be created.
New Hampshire decriminalized marijuana in 2017, reducing penalties for possession of up to three-quarters of an ounce to a violation similar to a traffic ticket. The state approved a medical marijuana law in 2013.
Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, is working in the Senate on his own legalization proposal. Final wording hasn’t been released.
“You know, every state around us has legalized it,” he said in a recent interview. “They’re not having issues with it. And it would be a great revenue driver.”
He acknowledged that legalization measures are hard to pass, but he said they are still worthy of lawmakers’ time and effort.
“Sometimes it has taken me three years to get a bill passed and sometimes it has taken me one year to get a bill passed,” he said.
Opponents of legalization say expanded availability of the drug would lead to negative public health effects, including among young people. They also say people would inevitably use marijuana in public, much to the displeasure of others who don’t want to smell the smoke.
Backers say marijuana is already widely available in New Hampshire through the illicit market, while regulated sales would yield a product free from adulteration with more dangerous drugs. They also say legalization would be good for business and state revenues.
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