A new year brings around another bill to legalize recreational cannabis in New Hampshire. And this time, lawmakers are looking to neighboring states Maine and Vermont. Each state legalized recreational cannabis years before New Hampshire, which activists say is unexpected. The push for legalization is going to be in full swing going into 2022, they say.  

Expectation

Any potential recreational cannabis legalization bill would legalize recreational cannabis possession, gifting, and usage in private homes. There will most likely be no home growth allowed. Some lawmakers have even predicted how the bill will move through the legislative process in the state. First, the New Hampshire House will see a legalization bill introduced. It would move to a small committee, where it will most likely pass. Once done there, it will move to the full House chamber. Again, it’s expected to pass with bipartisan support.

However, when the bill moves over to the Senate, things aren’t so sure. Another small committee in the Senate will review the bill and could pass it on to a full Senate vote. There, it’s up in the air if it will pass or fail. Should the bill pass, it would head to Governor Chris Sununu’s desk. There, the bill would most likely receive a veto as Sununu has been against recreational cannabis legalization.

Upon receiving a veto, lawmakers aren’t sure if they can overturn it. Both chambers would need to vote with a ⅔ majority in favor of overturning the veto. While legalization does have bipartisan support, there isn’t a large enough majority to overturn a veto. 

Response

One House Representative, Casey Conley, D, did speak with local reporters about the next steps New Hampshire lawmakers are taking to move cannabis legalization forward. This includes looking at neighboring states. The bill is written to try and speak to some of the hesitancy anti-legalization lawmakers and citizens have. However, the bill isn’t exactly what Democrats were hoping for.

“The key question for advocates of legalization is: Do we want to legalize cannabis this year even if the bill isn’t perfect, or what we would want ideally, or do we oppose this and hope for something better next year?” he asked. “My feeling is, we have no idea what the House or Senate is going to look like next year. If we have a viable option to legalize cannabis and end the prohibition in New Hampshire, then I am going to support it.”

When looking at neighboring states, very different approaches were taken to push for cannabis legalization.

Maine

In Maine, recreational cannabis passed in 2016 after a series of city referendums and a ballot initiative. The city’s capitol, Portland, held a referendum on cannabis legalization in 2013. Voters legalized recreational cannabis, which led to more cities in the state to follow suit. 

In 2016, the state took notice and pushed for a statewide recreational cannabis legalization bill, as several cities had already moved legalization forward. The measure went in front of voters, who approved the bill and legalized recreational cannabis statewide through Maine’s initiative process. 

Vermont

The legalization process in Vermont took a much slower pace than Maine. Vermont doesn’t have an initiative measure process like Maine does. This leaves citizens to pressure representatives and senators to create the bills they want instead of pushing for them themselves. 

Activists in the state then individually met with representatives and senators to address any concerns and push for legalization, pointing to Massachusetts and Maine, who already had legal sales up and running. In 2020, recreational cannabis legalized in Vermont, leaving New Hampshire surrounded by states with legal recreational cannabis. 

Next Steps

Lawmakers are working together to make recreational cannabis legalization a priority in 2022. Voters are also pushing for legalization. 78 percent of voters in New Hampshire support recreational cannabis legalization. Individual lawmakers are looking to push back but activists persist. New Hampshire is going to be a hot state in 2022 regarding cannabis legalization. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.

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