John SchroyerThe lower chamber of the New Hampshire Legislature moved to join the rest of New England by passing a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis, but the state Senate still looms as an obstacle.
The measure, House Bill 639, was given the thumbs-up by the full House on a 234-127 vote, the Associated Press reported, but multiple news outlets reported the bill faces an uphill climb in the Senate, where similar bills have died in recent years.
The House vote is also just short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to overcome a possible veto from Gov. Chris Sununu, InDepthNH.org reported.
That’s pertinent because Sununu remains a steadfast opponent of recreational marijuana, as do several key state senators. Sununu’s office told the AP last month that it doesn’t expect HB 639 or any other attempt at legalization to reach the governor’s desk this year.
That’s despite multiple Republican lawmakers being openly on board with the bill, saying it’s in keeping with the state motto, “Live Free or Die.”
“I want to make sure that New Hampshire citizens don’t have to go out of state to practice Live Free or Die,” GOP state Rep. John Hunt told the AP.
Other Republicans, however, were vocally opposed, and said legalization could lead to health and safety concerns for residents.
“Don’t be fooled by the addiction-for-profit industry,” GOP Rep. Lilli Walsh said. “This will change the state in unimaginable ways and none for the common good.”
New Hampshire is the lone holdout in the northeastern U.S. that maintains marijuana prohibition; all other states in the region have legalized recreational cannabis, with several of the markets having launched in just the past few months, including Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
