New Hampshire’s Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to suggest towards a bipartisan invoice to legalize possession of hashish for adults, however there may be nonetheless hope for the invoice in a full Senate ground vote.
On April 15, the committee voted by 3-2 to deem Home Invoice 198 ‘inexpedient to legislate’, formally recommending its rejection by the complete Senate when it’s voted on within the coming weeks.
Whereas it is a blow to the invoice, which has already been handed within the Home, it is just a suggestion, and a normal legislative process within the state. Though a suggestion is influential, it isn’t binding.
HB198 would legalize the possession of as much as two ounces of hashish flower, 10 grams of focus, or 2,000 milligrams of THC for adults aged 21 and over, however wouldn’t permit for industrial gross sales, public consumption, or house cultivation.
The invoice is a scaled-back model of a broader legalization proposal that failed final yr after lawmakers clashed over a state-run retail mannequin. HB 198 deliberately sidesteps that debate by focusing solely on possession.
Supporters, together with the Marijuana Coverage Challenge, described the measure as modest and according to public sentiment. A June 2024 ballot by the College of New Hampshire discovered that 65% of residents assist adult-use legalization.
Infamous anti-cannabis activists Good Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) argued that the invoice lacks obligatory safeguards and would legitimize illicit market exercise.
