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The Democratic and Republican leaders of the New Hampshire House of Representatives announced on Monday that they will be\u00a0 jointly filing a bill to legalize marijuana for the 2023 session\u2014a bipartisan effort that\u2019s backed by key advocacy and industry stakeholder groups.<\/p>\n
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matt Wilhelm (D) are sponsoring the legalization bill, which would allow adults 21 and older to possess and gift up to four ounces of cannabis and grow up to six plants (three of which could be mature) for personal use.<\/p>\n
Republicans held on to the both the House and Senate after last month\u2019s election, and the latter chamber is where marijuana reform has faced its toughest obstacles in past sessions. The Senate rejected two House-passed reform bills earlier this year<\/a>, including one that would have create a non-commercial cannabis program and another providing for commerce under a state-run model.<\/p>\n The legislature might still be under GOP control by similar margins next session, but the Senate did see some shifts that favor reform. For example, a Democratic senator who opposed legalization efforts was replaced by a Republican who voted in favor of ending prohibition during his time as a House member.<\/p>\n Overall, advocates are encouraged by the developing dynamics and the fact that bipartisan House leadership is now collaborating on legalization, signaling that it is viewed as a priority that could help break the blockade in the Senate next year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe New Hampshire Senate may appear to be an immovable object, but this bill has the potential to develop into an irresistible force,\u201d Matt Simon, director of public and government relations at Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of New Hampshire, told Marijuana Moment on Monday. \u201cI\u2019m very encouraged to see House leaders uniting behind this thoughtful, comprehensive approach to cannabis policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who was reelected last month, remains opposed to legalization\u2014but his more recent comments on the issue seem to show a softening of his position. He said during a debate last month that reform \u201ccould be inevitable,\u201d but he added that states need to \u201cbe patient about how you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a summary, the forthcoming legislation would establish a Cannabis Commission, with officials appointed by the governor, to develop rules, regulate the program and issue marijuana business licenses. A 13-member advisory board would assist the commission.<\/p>\n The bill will also take specific steps to reduce barriers to entry for military veterans, small farmers and people who have been disproportionately impacted by criminalization. That would include lower licensing fees and prioritized scoring for licensing applications.<\/p>\n It would also create a Cannabis Business Development Fund designed to support \u201coutreach, provide start-up funding, and provide training and other technical assistance\u201d for those groups.<\/p>\n The plan is to facilitate a gradual, deliberate transition for New Hampshire\u2019s existing medical marijuana program. The commission, with the assistance of the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), would be responsible for developing a transition proposal within 20 months of the bill\u2019s enactment, and implementing that plan would require further legislative action through a separate measure.<\/p>\n Existing medical marijuana dispensaries would be able to apply for serve adult consumers if they meet key requirements such as ensuring that patients\u2019 access is prioritized and price hikes are avoided. Those alternative treatment centers (ATCs) would also be able to convert to a for-profit model.<\/p>\n Adult-use marijuana products would be subject to an 8.5 percent Meals and Rooms Tax. Annual application renewal fees would be capped at $1,000 for the state and $500 for the individual municipality where the business is located. The annual licensing fee would range from up to $250 for small cultivators to a maximum of $10,000 for larger licensees.<\/p>\n Revenue from those taxes and fees would go toward unfunded pension liabilities (70 percent) until that need is met, after which point it would be reserved for an education trust fund and property tax relief.<\/p>\n The remaining 30 percent would be divided up between a new substance misuse treatment fund (10 percent), support for veterans, small farmers and impacted communities, as well as justice reinvestment programs like job training and legal aid (10 percent), funding for municipalities that allow at least one cannabis business (5 percent) and public safety agencies (5 percent).<\/p>\n Past cannabis possession convictions would be automatically annulled under the proposal, and a sentence-review process for marijuana cases would be established. Anyone with a cannabis conviction on their record could petition for annulment. Pending possession cases that would be made legal for adults 21 and older would be dismissed.<\/p>\n The possession and cultivation components of the legislation would take effect immediately upon enactment. Regulators would have one year to develop rules for cultivators and ATC hybrid licensees, and the remaining rules would be due after 15 months.<\/p>\n Notably, the legislation stipulates that \u201cstate-legal cannabis-related business expenses are deductible,\u201d the summary says, referring to deductions at the state-level, as the federal 280E provision prevents such tax relief for marijuana businesses as long as prohibition is in place.<\/p>\n While individual localities would be able to set their own rules for the market, or outright ban cannabis businesses from operating in their area, they could not prohibit deliveries.<\/p>\n All told, the bill seems to incorporate provisions designed to appeal to a wide range of interests and ideologies. And advocates are cautiously optimistic that, combined with the fact that it\u2019s being spearheaded by bipartisan House leaders, this could finally open the door in the Senate.<\/p>\n \u201cThis proposal to legalize cannabis for adults in New Hampshire brings together diverse nonpartisan perspectives,\u201d Osborne, who cosponsored the earlier state-run legalization bill, said<\/a> in a press release on Monday. \u201cThis bill brings a solution to pay off our pension liability, reduce property taxes, provide additional resources for law enforcement, while restricting minors from accessing cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe House has long stood united in finding a pathway to getting this done for Granite Staters,\u201d he said. \u201cWith any luck, the Senate will come around to supporting the will of the vast majority of New Hampshire citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n The Democratic leader, Wilhelm, said that it\u2019s \u201clong past time that New Hampshire stops wasting scarce tax dollars and valuable local and state policing resources by continuing a restriction that has failed for decades and needlessly ruined the lives of many young and poor Granite Staters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy legalizing cannabis, New Hampshire can stop squandering tax dollars and instead provide a significant source of new revenue to fund critical health and law enforcement programs while lowering local property taxes,\u201d he said. \u201cNew Hampshire remains the only state in New England that has failed to legalize recreational cannabis, while our neighbors benefit from increased revenue and their cannabis users benefit from safer testing and regulation of the product. Legalization of adult possession of small amounts of cannabis is the right thing to do for New Hampshire and we must get it done in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation is also being endorsed by Americans for Prosperity\u2014New Hampshire (AFP-NH), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Cannabis Association, Prime ATC and Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).<\/p>\n MPP Director of State Policies Karen O\u2019Keefe said that prohibition \u201chas been just as disastrous a policy failure as alcohol prohibition was a century ago, but it has persisted far longer and inflicted far more harm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is past time the Granite State join its neighbors and take a more modern approach to cannabis,\u201d she said. \u201cThis bipartisan coalition bill includes strong public health protections, annulment and sentencing review for past convictions, and provisions to ensure mom and pop businesses can succeed. We hope to see it become law this year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSold to the public in the name of public safety, New Hampshire\u2019s marijuana laws needlessly ensnare over a thousand people\u2014disproportionately Black people\u2014in its criminal justice system every year,\u201d ACLU NH Policy Director Frank Knaack said. \u201cNew Hampshire\u2019s war on marijuana does not make us safer, wastes taxpayer dollars, is enforced with a staggering racial bias, and ruins lives\u2014it\u2019s time for it to end.\u201d<\/p>\n AFP-NH Deputy State Director Ross Connolly said that \u201cNew Hampshire is an island of cannabis prohibition,\u201d and this \u201ccoalition has taken lessons learned from surrounding states and created the best model for taxed, regulated, and legal retail cannabis that protects consumers and minors while out-competing our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n After the Senate rejected two reform bills in April, the House included legalization language as an amendment to separate criminal justice-related legislation\u2014but\u00a0that was also struck down in the opposite chamber<\/a>\u00a0the following month.<\/p>\n The non-commercial legalization measure that was defeated had previously\u00a0passed the House under Democratic control<\/a>\u00a0in 2020 but was defeated in the Senate at the committee stage.<\/p>\n Three lawmakers\u2014Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D) and Andrew Prout (R)\u2014each filed separate bills to\u00a0put marijuana legalization on the state\u2019s 2022 ballot<\/a>. But the House defeated Prout\u2019s proposed constitutional amendment and voted to table the two other measures.<\/p>\n Read the summary<\/a> of the bipartisan House legalization bill that\u2019s being filed for 2023 below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Key Wisconsin Agency Proposes Marijuana Legalization Be Included In Budget, Saying It Will Create $165M In Yearly Revenue<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post New Hampshire GOP And Democratic House Leaders Team Up On Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2023<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the New Hampshire House of Representatives announced on Monday that they will be\u00a0 jointly filing a bill to legalize marijuana for the 2023 session\u2014a bipartisan effort that\u2019s backed by key advocacy and industry stakeholder groups. House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority LeaderContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":59261,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59262,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59260\/revisions\/59262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: New Hampshire GOP And Democratic House Leaders Team Up On Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2023<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"