Yesterday, the N.H. House of Representatives voted 235-119 to pass HB 1598, which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older and create a state-run monopoly to sell cannabis. It would not allow home cultivation. The bill was referred to the House Finance Committee and will get another House floor vote before heading to the Senate.

The N.H. House of Representatives has voted to legalize cannabis three times since 2019. Sadly, the Senate has killed every attempt so far. Tomorrow, the House will vote on legalization once again, but this time there’s a twist. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Daryl Abbas (R), an opponent of previous legalization bills, and it includes a poison pill: state-run stores.

It has been another frustrating legislative session for cannabis policy reforms in New Hampshire, but we did manage to make some progress. Several bills impacting the medical cannabis program have passed the House and Senate, and most of them are clear improvements. Some of these bills have already been signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, while others are either on his desk or on their way to his desk.

Emil Ekvardt from Great.com interviews Senior Legislative Analyst Matt Simon of MPP as part of their 'Great.com Talks With...' podcast. This series is an antidote to negative news stories that aims to shed light on organizations and experts whose work is making a positive impact on the world.

Panel discussion at the Jupiter Room will feature advocates and legislative leaders — encourage your Manchester area friends to join the MCRC and attend this important event! If you live in or near Manchester, please join us on Thursday, November 21 as we launch the Manchester Cannabis Reform Coalition with an expert panel and Q&A session. Here are the details: WHAT: Manchester Cannabis Reform Coalition Kickoff, Featuring Panel and Q&A WHEN: 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21 WHERE: Jupiter Hall,…

Panel discussion at the Jupiter Room will feature advocates and legislative leaders — mark your calendar and encourage your friends to attend this important event! It has been another very frustrating year for cannabis policy reform advocates in New Hampshire, and Manchester’s three state senators are a big part of the reason. Despite the fact that their state party’s platform calls for legalization of cannabis, Democratic Senators Donna Soucy, Lou D’Allesandro, and Kevin Cavanaugh all voted to…

Expert panel will feature a retired police captain, a nurse, and a clergy member — please attend and show your support! Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced he will ask the Connecticut Legislature to pass a cannabis legalization bill in 2020. This is very encouraging news, but we know that Gov. Lamont can't end prohibition alone — we will need to continue building support in the legislature in order to achieve this worthy goal! Encouragingly, since the end of session many legislators have expressed…

If you're a New Hampshire resident, please call your state representatives today and urge them to vote for HB 481! Tomorrow evening, after the scheduled House vote on HB 481, the Tri-City Young Democrats will host an event in Somersworth to help educate people about legalization efforts. I will be there to participate in a panel discussion, which will also feature one of our key allies at the state house: Jeanne Hruska, political director for ACLU-NH. Here are the details: WHAT: Panel discussion…

After you vote tomorrow, you are welcome to attend a marijuana legalization debate at New England College in Henniker! Last week, New Hampshire’s study commission on marijuana legalization published its final report. The commission did not take a position on legalization, but it did make 54 recommendations to the legislature, including the following: Marijuana should be referred to as cannabis in any future legislation. If cannabis is legalized for adults’ use, limited home cultivation should…

On Friday, for the second time this year, the Vermont Senate voted to legalize marijuana for adults’ use! The Senate voted 20-9 to attach the legalization language from H. 170 to an unrelated bill, S. 22, and added a study commission to consider regulation and taxation. It will now be up to the House whether or not to concur with the Senate’s offer of amendment. This move represents an attempt by the Senate to compromise with the House, which voted for the first time in its history to legalize marijuana…