The residents of New Hampshire overwhelmingly support legalizing cannabis and setting up a tax-and-regulate model for cannabis sales.
Residents’ support is according to a new poll published by the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The survey comes out as broad reform legislation sits in the GOP-controlled legislature. The survey found that three in four people support adult-use legalization. 78 percent of residents also favor allowing adults to purchase marijuana from retailers with a license, contingent upon being legalized.
From May 13-17, this latest survey involved interviews with 1,824 people.
86 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of independents, and 62 percent of Republicans said they support legalizing cannabis. When asked about allowing retailers to sell marijuana, a similar trend appeared. 87 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans gave their support.
The survey also found that only 51 percent of New Hampshire residents favor Gov. Chris Sununu (R). The governor opposes legalizing marijuana for adult use.
During the past nine years that UHN has conducted the survey, support for cannabis reform has steadily grown. For example, in 2013, 49 percent of respondents approve of marijuana legalization for adults and just 45 percent did not support the policy change.
Lack of Action from Lawmakers
Despite the increase in support for marijuana reform, it comes as a surprise to many advocates that legislative action to end prohibition has not followed.
A bipartisan bill to legalize recreational marijuana and establish a regulated licensing program for marijuana businesses has stalled in a committee. The House introduced the bill in January 2021.
“With support now reaching 75 percent, cannabis legalization is clearly more popular than any of New Hampshire’s elected officials,” Matt Simon, New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, said. “Sadly, Gov. Sununu and a large number of state senators do not seem to care what Granite Staters think — they appear to be hell-bent on maintaining New Hampshire’s ‘island of prohibition’ status at any cost, defying the will of their constituents.”
“If politicians refuse to evolve on the issue, voters will have an opportunity to replace them in the 2022 election,” he said.
Last year the House passed a cannabis legalization bill, but it stalled and died in a Senate committee.
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