New Hampshire Committee Weighs Proposal To Legalize And Regulate Marijuana For Adults

A New Hampshire Home committee this week held a listening to on one three competing proposals to legalize adult-use marijuana within the state following final 12 months’s failure by supporters to push comparable proposals previous the end line.

The Home Commerce and Client Affairs Committee on Thursday thought of HB 186, from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), which might enable adults 21 and older to own as much as two ounces of marijuana flower and 10 grams of focus, in addition to develop as much as six hashish vegetation at dwelling for private use.

It could additionally license a business hashish market, permitting shoppers to purchase labeled, lab-tested merchandise from state-regulated storefronts.

The invoice is one in all two legalization proposals Sullivan has launched for the present legislative session. The opposite, HB 198, would legalize private possession and residential cultivation of hashish however wouldn’t enable authorized gross sales.

“Before everything, I feel it’s ridiculous we proceed to arrest folks in New Hampshire for possession of hashish,” he advised the committee, “and I feel that should cease.”

The invoice thought of at Thursday’s listening to relies largely on a measure that lawmakers got here near passing final session however was finally tabled by Home Democrats, a few of whom raised points with the proposal’s state-run franchise mannequin.

Among the many fundamental variations, Sullivan defined, is that the brand new invoice would impose a decreased tax price, utilizing the state’s room and meals tax somewhat than create a brand new industry-specific tax. It could additionally set up an impartial hashish fee to promulgate guidelines and oversee the brand new market, whereas final 12 months’s invoice would put New Hampshire’s Liquor Fee in cost.

“Whereas it’s a invoice to legalize and regulate at some stage, there’s going to be lots of rulemaking required to get into the nitty gritty that isn’t in a position to be finished on this invoice,” he advised colleagues. “And this fee would be the ones that try this.”

The committee heard public testimony however didn’t take motion on HB 186. Rep. John Hunt (R), chair of the panel, mentioned the measure will subsequent be referred to a liquor subcommittee.

One member of the committee, Rep. Merryl Gibbs (D), complimented the revised proposal.

“I feel this invoice is an enchancment on the earlier invoice from the final session,” she mentioned, “each within the creation of a hashish fee and in the best way the invoice bases the hashish tax on the rooms and meals tax.”

Co-sponsor Rep. Heath Howard (D) additionally spoke in favor of the invoice.

“We’ve been seeing big income declines, and it is a smart way that we can assist form of climb out of that gap with out introducing new tax burdens onto our public,” he mentioned. “It additionally provides folks extra liberties.”

Howard mentioned he believes it’s necessary not solely to permit adults authorized possession of marijuana but additionally present a technique to entry merchandise legally.

Additionally talking in favor of the invoice was former Republican Rep. Joe Hannon, a health care provider who served on a state opioid activity power. He identified that with no authorized technique to entry marijuana, adults are driving to neighboring states to buy authorized marijuana, then bringing it again throughout the border to New Hampshire.

The one testimony towards the legalization proposal at Thursday’s listening to got here from the New Hampshire Affiliation of Chiefs of Police.

Final week, in the meantime, lawmakers heard testimony on two different, easier legalization plans, in addition to a handful of different cannabis-related payments.

“Many individuals in our society have grown to just accept the consumption of hashish by accountable adults, but it surely stays unlawful in New Hampshire,” Sullivan mentioned of his invoice, HB 198. On the similar time, he mentioned, lawmakers within the state have repeatedly tripped over the “stumbling block” of methods to regulate a business hashish {industry}.

“The objective of that is merely to legalize this and permit for cheap portions of possession,” the lawmaker mentioned, including that if it turns into legislation, the legislature may later return to the difficulty to handle methods to regulate potential retail gross sales.

“Vermont did the identical factor,” he identified. “They really legalized it, and some years later, got here again with a regulatory framework.”

A Republican-sponsored various—HB 75, from Rep. Kevin Verville—additionally requires a easy method to legalization. It could take away penalties across the use and possession of marijuana however wouldn’t set up a licensed business market or broader regulatory scheme.

As for full legalization, hope amongst advocates has fallen sharply following final November’s election. The state’s new governor, Kelly Ayotte (R)—a former U.S. senator and state legal professional common—mentioned repeatedly on the marketing campaign path that she would oppose efforts at adult-use legalization if elected.

Rep. Jason Osborne (R), the Home majority chief and a previous sponsor of laws to legalize hashish, mentioned earlier this month that the scenario means it might be years earlier than New Hampshire has one other reasonable try to legalize and regulate the plant.

“We had a possibility with the final governor to place that situation behind us, and albeit, we blew it,” Osborne mentioned in an interview with an area ABC affiliate. “So I don’t think about us coming again to that for an additional decade, in all probability.”

In a later e mail to Marijuana Second, the lawmaker clarified that it may not be “a decade” earlier than lawmakers once more take up hashish legalization, but it surely additionally received’t be anytime quickly.

“‘Decade’ was simply what got here out of my mouth within the second,” Osborne mentioned. “What I imply is that we’ll not see broad marijuana legalization taken significantly so long as the present governor is in workplace.”

New Hampshire lawmakers almost handed laws final session that might have legalized and controlled marijuana for adults. The Republican-sponsored measure—one which Sununu mentioned he’d help—had bipartisan help in each legislative chambers, however Home Democrats narrowly voted to desk it on the final minute, taking situation with the proposal’s state-controlled franchise mannequin, which might have given the state unprecedented sway over retail shops and client costs.

A ballot from final June discovered that nearly two thirds (65 p.c) of New Hampshire residents supported legalizing marijuana, whereas almost as many (61 p.c) mentioned they supported the failed legalization invoice, HB 1633.

Picture courtesy of Chris Wallis // Facet Pocket Photos.