New Hampshire lawmakers are considering legislation that would legalize the simple possession of pot by adults. According to a recent poll, 70 percent of residents in New Hampshire support this reform. Majorities of Democrats and Republicans as well as independents also supported it.
In the new Granite State Poll conducted by University of New Hampshire States of Opinion Project between April 17 and 21, 1,455 residents of New Hampshire were surveyed on various political topics. The poll shows that the support for legalizing cannabis has increased since last June, when 65 percent of respondents supported it.
The poll found that “generally speaking, 70% Granite Staters support the legalization of possession of small quantities of marijuana in New Hampshire for personal use (49%) and somewhat (20%),” while “9% have no opinion or are neutral, 21% strongly (7%) oppose it, and less than 1 percent are not sure.”
It continues: “Support of legalization is up slightly from June 2024 (65%), and it remains higher than the mid-2010s.” Majorities of Democrats (84%), Independents (72%), as well as Republicans (55%), support the legalization of marijuana for personal consumption.
New Hampshire’s chances of marijuana reform are on the line. A bill that would legalize simple possession and use—HB 198, from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D)—passed the House in March, but earlier this month the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended the proposal be rejected.
Granite State Poll – University of New Hampshire States of Opinion Project
It is possible that the Senate could still pass the bill despite the recommendation of the committee. The chamber in this session, however, has already killed a few other marijuana legislations.
In light of the new poll—and with HB 198 still on the table—Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said it would be “legislative malpractice for senators to vote down simple legalization with such overwhelming support.”
She told MEDCAN24 via email that “there’s a cruel paradox in Live Free State punishing adults who use cannabis when every neighbor has legalized the drug.” “If the Senate fails to pass the bill, maybe it’s time to change New Hampshire’s motto to ‘the Nanny State.'”
If enacted, HB 198 would legalize noncommercial possession and use of marijuana among adults 21 and older, permitting adults to have up to two ounces of marijuana flower, 10 grams of concentrate and up to 2,000 milligrams of THC in other cannabis products.
Under the proposal, driving while under influence of marijuana will remain illegal.
“My objective here is to end arresting of people,” said sponsor Sullivan before the committee. “It’s 2025.” It is legal in almost half of all states.
Sullivan said the proposal was based largely on a legalization measure lawmakers nearly passed last year but without that bill’s regulated commercial system—a controversial issue that ultimately derailed the earlier effort.
Sponsor: “Most of the disputes are usually about the way to sell them.” This bill won’t affect that.
Earlier this month, the Senate voted to table a separate cannabis legalization bill—HB 75, from Rep. Kevin Verville (R)—that would have removed state penalties around marijuana-related conduct for adults 21 and older. The bill would not, unlike legalization measures taken in other states to date, establish a commercial licensed market, or an encompassing regulatory system.
The proposal included no limits on marijuana possession or cultivation, and it would have carved out marijuana from the state’s laws against illicit drug sales—provisions even some reform advocates found too permissive.
The Senate tabled a bill to permit medical cannabis patients at home to cultivate their plants and to allow dispensaries access to hemp-derived CBD on the market.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has also recommended that other drug reform legislation be dropped for this session. This includes proposals for increasing the medical cannabis possession limit and allowing harm reduction groups to use drug test strips legally to detect contaminants.
The committee also took testimony on three other drug-related bills—including measures that would decriminalize possession of psilocybin, allow greenhouse cultivation by existing medical marijuana businesses and lessen penalties for state-registered patients who illegally sell their marijuana—but did not act on those proposals.
The New Hampshire Governor would likely stand in opposition to the marijuana reform even if it were passed by the New Hampshire Legislature this year. Late last month, Gov. Kelly Ayotte reiterated her position against legalization of marijuana in New Hampshire.
She told the reporters, “I have been clear about this.” The people of New Hampshire already know what I think about this issue because “I ran for office on it.” “I don’t endorse it.”
A former U.S. senator and state attorney general, Ayotte said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that she would oppose efforts at adult-use legalization.
The new survey found that 48 percent of residents of the state approve of Ayotte’s job performance in general. Only 38 percent are disapproving. The governor’s support was divided along partisan lines.
Report: “Nine-in-10 Republicans (89%), and 49% of Independents, approve Ayotte’s performances. But only 11% approve,” says the report.
Around 1 percent of respondents cited Ayotte’s drug policy handling as the most important reason they disapproved, while zero percent stated that her drug policy handling was their main reason of approval.
Last legislative session, New Hampshire lawmakers nearly passed a bill that would have legalized and regulated marijuana for adults—a proposal that then-Gov. Chris Sununu had stated that he supported the bill. This measure was ultimately defeated by a dispute over the way in which it would be run. House Democrats narrowly voted to table it at the last minute, taking issue with the proposal’s state-controlled franchise model, which would have given the state unprecedented sway over retail stores and consumer prices.
A poll from last June found that almost two thirds (65 percent) of New Hampshire residents supported legalizing marijuana. Almost the same number (61 percent), of New Hampshire residents, said they supported HB 1633 last year’s failed legalization legislation.
A new poll finds that a majority of Pennsylvanians support marijuana legalization and opposition has dropped by half since the last decade.
Mike Latimer provided the photo.
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