Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has signed legislation into law establishing procedures permitting those with prior, low-level marijuana convictions to petition the court to have their convictions annulled.
House Bill 399 provides an opportunity for those convicted of offenses involving the possession of three-quarters of one ounce of cannabis or less to seek an annulment. If the prosecuting attorney does not object to the request within ten days, the petition will be granted.
The new law takes effect on January 1, 2020.
State lawmakers decriminalized low-level marijuana possession offenses in 2017.
In June, the Governor signed separate legislation, House Bill 350, into law permitting physician assistants to make medical cannabis recommendations to qualified patients. House Bill 364, which seeks to allow state-registered patients to grow personal use quantities of cannabis at home, awaits action from the Governor.
Separate legislation that sought to remove existing rules requiring patients to have at least a three-month relationship with a medical provider prior to seeking a medical cannabis recommendation was vetoed by Gov. Sununu.
Additional information on pending legislation is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.
