By the start of next year, the future of marijuana policy in New Hampshire could become clearer. A new commission will study how to pursue legalization, under a system strictly controlled by the state.
The new law, signed by Gov. Chris Sununu this week, also removes a barrier for qualifying patients to get access to therapeutic cannabis for severe pain.
In a statement, Sununu said the state has an opportunity to safely regulate the sale of recreational marijuana to people 21 and older.
New Hampshire remains the only state in New England where recreational cannabis use by adults remains illegal.
The House passed a bipartisan legalization bill earlier this year, but the Senate rejected it. A day after the Senate killed the bill, Sununu announced he would support legalizing marijuana under a state-run sales model — similar, in theory, to current state liquor sales.
“I am supportive of legalizing marijuana in the right way - with this legislature - rather than risk a poorly thought out framework that inevitably could pass under future governors or legislatures,” Sununu said back in May. “Should the legislature pass future legalization bills without these provisions in place, they will be vetoed.”
Sununu previously opposed bills to legalize marijuana, saying in part that it was wrong to do so amid the state’s opioid epidemic.
The four-term Republican governor announced in July that he would not run for reelection 2024.
Under the new law, the study commission is charged with exploring a number of policy ideas and proposals, including how to keep cannabis away from children, how the state should approach sales and marketing, and how to prevent certain communities from becoming oversaturated with marijuana stores. They’re also asked to look at how to allow towns and cities to limit or reject such retail shops.
The 18-member commission will consult with the New Hampshire Cannabis Association and existing alternative treatment centers, among others. It will supposed to include a representative from the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, the New Hampshire Bankers Association, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Medical Society, and the Community for Alcohol and Drug-free Youth.
In addition to five members each from the state Senate and House, the governor and the attorney general – or their designee – will also serve on the commission.
State Rep. Wendy Thomas, a Democrat from Merrimack who is a therapeutic cannabis patient, was one of the sponsors of the bill. She hopes to be named to the commission.
“All of the states who have legalized cannabis are getting all of our money,” she said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re just throwing money away that could help our state.”
While encouraged by the governor being open to marijuana legalization, Thomas said she has some reservations about state-controlled sales of adult cannabis. She would rather see New Hampshire have a legal market with boutique or smaller retail shops.
