Supporters of recreational marijuana are hoping New Hampshire will follow neighboring states in legalizing cannabis.
At a State House hearing this week, lawmakers also heard from many critics, from health educators to the Catholic Church.
Bob Dunn, director of public policy for the Diocese of Manchester, spoke on behalf of Bishop Peter Libasci.
In testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dunn said a bill legalizing recreational marijuana use fails to protect youth, families and communities.
“Any revenue that might be produced by the virtue of the passage of this bill is sure to be outweighed by the financial costs, and even more the social costs,” he said.
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The Senate committee will now review the legislation and issue its recommendation to the full Senate.
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill earlier this month. While the House has endorsed marijuana legalization in previous legislative sessions, this year’s bill saw Republicans and Democrats mobilize behind it. House Majority Leader Jason Osborne and House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm are lead sponsors of the bill.
Osborne called the bill something of a compromise. He said it accomplishes a main goal, which he said is “to get this market out of the hands of the gangsters and thugs.”
Former state Rep. Patrick Abrami, who was chair of a marijuana study commission in 2019, said he is more convinced than ever that New Hampshire should not legalize pot for adults. In his remarks, he argued that the black market, even in a regulated state, never truly goes away.
In his testimony, Wilhelm said “prohibition” of legal cannabis sales to adults has harmed communities, leading to what he called an unequal enforcement and increased likelihood of Black people being arrested for marijuana-related charges.
“It’s past time that New Hampshire join every one of our neighbors,” he said.
Prevention specialists and educators, along with student speakers, asked the Senate committee to reject the bill.
Emily Shanahan, a prevention specialist and a coordinator with the state chapter of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said legislators need to prevent drug use, not encourage it.
“With our state facing an opioid crisis, youth vaping epidemic and mental health crisis, why are we considering legalizing another addictive drug that has severe negative impacts on youth, families and our communities?”
Bill supporters countered that New Hampshire residents are already purchasing recreational cannabis from Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont. Osborne, the House Majority Leader, said a parking lot of a recreational cannabis store in Tyngsborough, Mass., not far from the New Hampshire border, has plenty of Live Free Or Die license plates.
As amended by the House, the bill would allow anyone 21 and older to possess up to 4 ounces of cannabis in plant form, 20 grams of concentrated cannabis products, and products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC.
It proposes a 12.5% tax rate, levied at the wholesale level. The intent is for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission to have responsibility for licensing and enforcement, with the state regulating cannabis in a similar fashion to alcohol sales.
