We are holding an advocacy workshop this evening in Manchester, and there will be legislative hearings on medical cannabis bills Wednesday afternoon and on the legalization bill Thursday afternoon.

There will be several opportunities to support cannabis policy reform in New Hampshire this week. This is a very important time to make sure your voice is being heard in Concord!

Here are the three events that will be taking place:

TUESDAY — Cannabis Legalization Advocacy Workshop

WHEN: Tuesday, January 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Americans for Prosperity, 340 Granite Street (First Floor), Manchester
Click here for more details and to RSVP.

WEDNESDAY — Public Hearings on Medical Cannabis Home Cultivation Bill and Other Bills

WHEN: The hearings will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22. Legislators will testify first, followed by members of the public. Click here for more details on the bills and hearings.
WHERE: Legislative Office Building, Room 101, 33 North State Street, Concord (behind the capitol building)
Click here to RSVP.

THURSDAY — Public Hearing on the Cannabis Legalization Bill

WHEN: Advocates will gather for a press conference at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. Legislators will testify first, followed by members of the public. Please note that the hearing may last several hours.
WHERE: Legislative Office Building, 33 North State Street, Concord (behind the capitol building) — Press conference in lobby; hearing in Rooms 210-212.
Click here to RSVP.

You can read a summary of the legalization bill, HB 1648, here.

Please mark your calendars and share this message with your friends and family. If you can’t make it to the workshop this evening but are interested in testifying at one of the hearings, please email Matt Simon directly, and he will send you more information.

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To prepare, join advocates for a workshop in Manchester on Tuesday, January 21 — also, email your state legislators today and ask for their support!

The state legislature convened last week, and a public hearing has already been scheduled for the new legalization bill, HB 1648, on Thursday, January 23. This would be a great day for you to visit the state house and voice your support!

Here are the details:

WHAT: Public hearing on HB 1648

WHEN: Advocates will gather for a press conference at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. Legislators will testify first, followed by members of the public. Please note that the hearing may last several hours.

WHERE: Legislative Office Building, 33 North State Street, Concord (behind the capitol building) — Press conference in lobby, hearing in Rooms 210-212

WHO: All supporters of HB 1648 are welcome to sign in and/or testify in support. You can RSVP here on Facebook.

Since the Senate and governor have already made it clear that they’re not ready to support legalizing and regulating cannabis sales in 2020, we have decided to refocus efforts in support of this bill, which would simply legalize possession and limited home cultivation for adults 21 and older — similar to Vermont’s legalization law. You can read a summary of HB 1648 here.

To help supporters prepare for the hearing, our allies at Americans for Prosperity have offered to host an advocacy workshop at their Manchester office on Tuesday, January 21, and we would love to have you join us! Here are the details:

WHAT: Cannabis Legalization Advocacy Workshop

WHEN: Tuesday, January 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Americans for Prosperity, 340 Granite Street (first floor), Manchester

WHO: Supporters of HB 1648

You can RSVP here at the Facebook event page.

Please mark your calendars and share this message with your friends and family. If you can’t make it to the workshop but are interested in testifying at the hearing, please email me directly, and I will send you more information.

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The medical cannabis home cultivation bill still hasn't arrived on Gov. Sununu's desk — there's still time for you to call his office and urge him to sign it!

Gov. Chris Sununu has signed a few cannabis-related bills into law, while vetoing others. On Friday, he signed a very important bill, HB 399, which will allow people who received misdemeanor convictions for possessing small amounts of cannabis prior to decriminalization to have their records annulled. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2020. Our allies at ACLU-NH and Americans for Prosperity, and the bill's lead sponsor, Rep. Renny Cushing, deserve our sincere thanks for their outstanding advocacy on this issue.

HB 364, which would allow registered patients and caregivers to cultivate a limited supply of cannabis at home, still has not been delivered to the governor's desk but should be arriving there soon.

Please call Gov. Sununu right now — thank him for signing HB 399 and urge him to sign HB 364!

Here is an update on other medical cannabis bills that passed the House and Senate:

• HB 335 expands the number of possible dispensary locations in the state from six to eight by authorizing regulators to allow each dispensary to open a second location within their assigned geographic areas. Gov. Sununu signed it into law.
  
  
• HB 350 allows physician's assistants to certify patients. Gov. Sununu signed it into law.
  
  
• SB 88 would eliminate the three-month waiting period for provider-patient relationships. Gov. Sununu vetoed it. It passed by a veto-proof margin in both chambers of the legislature, so it's possible the veto could be overridden.
  
  
• SB 145 would allow alternative treatment centers to reorganize as for-profit businesses. Gov. Sununu vetoed it. It was two votes shy of a veto-proof vote in the Senate.

After you call Gov. Sununu, please share this important update with your friends and family!

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Action has been delayed on legalization, but we're still doing everything we can to pass the medical cannabis home cultivation bill — please call Gov. Chris Sununu today and urge him to sign HB 364 into law!

The New Hampshire Senate has delayed action on the legalization bill, but several cannabis-related bills have been approved by both chambers of the legislature, and they will soon land on the desk of Gov. Chris Sununu.

Most of these bills passed with strong support in both chambers, but the fate of one critical bill remains uncertain. HB 364, which would allow registered patients and caregivers to cultivate a limited supply of cannabis at home, passed the House today in a final voice vote. Unfortunately, the margin of support in the Senate was only 14-10, so we would have to gain two votes in the Senate in order to override a potential veto.

Please call Gov. Sununu right now and urge him to sign HB 364!

Here are the other cannabis-related bills that appear to be on track to become law:

• HB 399 would allow people who received misdemeanor possession convictions prior to decriminalization to apply to have their records annulled. It passed both chambers in a voice vote. We are very grateful to our allies at ACLU-NH and Americans for Prosperity for their work to help get this bill passed.
  
  
• HB 350 would allow physician's assistants to certify patients. It passed both chambers in a voice vote.
  
  
• SB 88 would eliminate the three-month waiting period for provider-patient relationships. It has already passed the House (263-90) and the Senate (17-7) and awaits a final vote in the Senate.
  
  
• SB 145 would allow alternative treatment centers to reorganize as for-profit businesses. It passed both chambers in a voice vote.

After you call Gov. Sununu and urge him to sign HB 364, please share this important update with your friends and family!

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Volunteers are needed this evening in Manchester and Portsmouth, and tomorrow evening in Concord!

The New Hampshire House has already passed the legalization bill once this year in a 209-147 vote. Unfortunately, while the first vote on HB 481 was lopsided, it did not reach the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a veto. We urgently need to continue gaining momentum, so it is very important that representatives hear from supporters before the next vote, which will take place this Thursday.

Supporters are working hard to convince representatives who remain undecided on HB 481. Americans for Prosperity will host a phone bank this evening, Tuesday, April 2, from 5-8 p.m. at their offices in Manchester (340 Granite St. First Floor) and Portsmouth (767 Islington St. Second Floor), and ACLU-NH will host a phone bank tomorrow evening, Wednesday, April 3, from 6-8 p.m. at their office in Concord (18 Low Avenue). Please help out if you are able!

If you haven't already done so, please take a few moments to find out how your representative(s) voted and send them a follow-up message.

You can read a summary of the bill here, as amended by the Ways and Means Committee and approved in a 14-6 vote. Please share this message with your family and friends!

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Patients who feel strongly about home cultivation are encouraged to testify at the hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m.

Since 2009, the New Hampshire House has passed numerous bills that would allow patients and caregivers to cultivate a limited supply of cannabis. These bills have all failed to pass the Senate, but there are good reasons to believe this year might be different. Tomorrow afternoon, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Public hearing on HB 364, a bill that would allow patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis (three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings per patient)

WHERE: Room 101, Legislative Office Building, 33 North State Street, Concord

WHEN: Scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 (but may begin a bit later, since other bills are also on the agenda)

This is an important opportunity for patients to testify in support of improving the medical cannabis law. If you've never testified before, or if you have any questions, please contact me at msimon@mpp.org.

Additionally, our allies at Americans for Prosperity will be hosting another phone banking and letter writing session in support of HB 481, the adult-use legalization bill, tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. at their offices in Manchester (340 Granite Street, First Floor) and Portsmouth (767 Islington Street, Second Floor). All legalization supporters are welcome. Dinner will be provided for volunteers. For more details, and to RSVP on Facebook, click here.

Please share this message with your family and friends!

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Phone banking and letter writing campaigns in support of HB 481 will commence tomorrow evening at the Americans for Prosperity offices in Manchester and Portsmouth.

The New Hampshire House has already voted 209-147 to pass HB 481, the bill that would legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults' use, but we need to continue building support and gaining votes in order to override an expected veto by Gov. Chris Sununu. The bill is currently being considered by the House Ways and Means Committee, and a second vote by the full House will happen before April 4. If it passes the House a second time, it will proceed to the Senate.

Americans for Prosperity has emerged this year as a strong supporter of HB 481. Tomorrow evening, they will be hosting phone banking and letter writing sessions at their offices in Manchester and Portsmouth. All supporters of HB 481 are welcome. Dinner will be provided for volunteers. For more details, and to RSVP on Facebook, click here.

WHAT: Phone banking and letter writing in support of HB 481

WHEN: Thursday, March 22, 5 to 8 p.m.

WHERE: Offices of Americans for Prosperity in Manchester (340 Granite St. First Floor) and Portsmouth (767 Islington St. Second Floor)

If you haven't already done so, please take a few moments to find how your state representative(s) voted and send them a message to follow up. It's important that we thank representatives who voted in favor, and for those who did not, this is a critical opportunity to ask them why they voted no.

Please share this message with your family and friends!

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