New Hampshire House lawmakers today approved legislation, House Bill 1648, eliminating criminal and civil penalties for activities involving possession and home cultivation of personal use quantities of cannabis.
Legislators passed the bill by a veto-proof majority, voting 236 to 112 in favor of it. The legislation now awaits action by the Senate.
The measure legalizes the possession of up to 3/4 of an ounce of marijuana by those age 21 or older. It also allows for adults to home cultivate up to three mature marijuana pants and/or to possess up to five grams of hashish, and up to 300mg of cannabis-infused products.
If advanced by the Senate, the measure is likely to face resistance from Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who has previously said that he will “absolutely” veto any legalization legislation, “regardless of what the language looks like.”
Last session, the Governor vetoed legislation, House Bill 364, which sought to allow patients registered in the state’s medical cannabis access program the option to home-cultivate up to three cannabis plants. In his veto message, he opined that allowing patients to grow their own medical cannabis would “make the job of law enforcement significantly more difficult,” and also suggested that it might reduce the number of patients soliciting the state’s dispensaries.
