N.H.: Home cultivation bill scheduled for hearing in Senate

A public hearing on the medical cannabis home grow bill will take place on Wednesday, March 17, beginning at 9:45am — email your senator today!

The New Hampshire House has been voting to pass medical cannabis home cultivation bills since 2009, but unfortunately, these bills have failed to become law. In 2019, the Senate joined the House in passing a home grow bill, but it was vetoed by Gov. Chris Sununu, and the veto override effort fell three votes short in the Senate.

As a result, home cultivation remains a felony in New Hampshire, and there is no exception for registered patients and caregivers. But lawmakers are trying again in 2021.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed HB 350, which would legalize limited home cultivation for registered patients and caregivers (up to three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings per patient). HB 350 is now scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday, March 17, beginning at 9:45 a.m.

The hearing will be conducted via Zoom, which means it will be easier than ever for advocates to support the legislation.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Click here to access the Senate’s remote sign-in sheet.

2. Select the date (3/17) and the committee: Senate Health and Human Services.

3. Select HB 350, identify yourself as a “member of the public,” and indicate that you support the bill.

4. If you wish to speak at the hearing, check the box. If you do not wish to speak, click “continue,” and enter your name and contact information on the next page. The Zoom link for this hearing is here. If you aren’t testifying, you can observe the hearing on YouTube here.

5. If you are a patient who would personally benefit from this bill’s passage, or you are a friend or family member of a patient, please email all five members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and share your story.

6. Please also email your state senator about this important legislation today. Then, call Gov. Chris Sununu’s office at 603-271-2121 and urge him to support the bill!

If you’d like to read an overview of where members of this committee have stood on the issue in the past, click here.

After you sign up to testify or indicate your support, email your state senator, and call Gov. Sununu’s office, please share this important message with your friends and family!