How can I help New Hampshire legalize recreational weed?

Submitted by cat-gun t3_11bnjni in newhampshire

NH is lagging behind other New England states in passing laws legalizing recreational cannabis. This is because all other states that have legalized recreational cannabis have done so via the ballot initiative. New Hampshire does not have the ballot initiative process, so new laws must pass via the legislature. The House has passed numerous bills legalizing recreational weed. But the bills are typically killed in the Senate, which, until recently, has been controlled by drug war enthusiasts.

For example, here are the Senators who voted against the last bill to legalize weed in the Senate, NH SB299 on 2022-05-12:

Sen. Avard, Kevin A. [R]
Sen. Birdsell, Regina [R]
Sen. Bradley, Jeb [R]
Sen. Carson, Sharon [R]
Sen. Cavanaugh, Kevin J. [D]
Sen. D'Allesandro, Lou C. [D]
Sen. Daniels, Gary L. [R]
Sen. Gannon, William "Bill" M. [R]
Sen. Giuda, Robert "Bob" [R]
Sen. Gray, James [R]
Sen. Hennessey, Erin Tapper [R]
Sen. Morse, Charles "Chuck" W. [R]
Sen. Ricciardi, Denise [R]
Sen. Soucy, Donna M. [D]
Sen. Ward, Ruth B. [R]
Sen. Whitley, Becky [D]

In the last election, four of the Senators who voted against legalization were replaced by pro-legalization Senators:

Sen. Cavanaugh, Kevin J. [D] --> Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester
Sen. Daniels, Gary L. [R] --> Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst
Sen. Giuda, Robert "Bob" [R] --> Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton
Sen. Morse, Charles "Chuck" W. [R] --> Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem

So, the pro side now has enough votes to pass the Senate.

However, there are still not enough votes (2/3 majority) to override the veto of Governor Sununu. Sununu has indicated that he will not sign off on new legalization bills. That said, he's gearing up to make a run for President, and may not want to take an unpopular position on legal weed (74% of NH voters support legalization).

If you support legal weed, consider contacting your senator and the governor's office, and let them know that you want them to vote for the latest legalization bill, HB 639, which recently passed the House.

You may also wish to make a donation to Marijuana Policy Project or Students For Sensible Drug Policy. Both organizations lobby for cannabis legalization in NH and nationally.

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Comments

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Krayzewolf t1_j9yqyrl wrote

It’s not going to happen until the feds reschedule its classification and end the federal prohibition.

It sucks and is stupid. We’re losing tons of money due to fear of federal drug enforcement.

It could end with Biden’s signature but we all know that’ll never happen.

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warpedaeroplane t1_j9z86z2 wrote

This is a good summary.

The wildest part too is that just a few months ago we gave the fed the finger by telling them we wouldn’t lift a finger to help them (ATF or FBI) with any shred of firearms enforcement relating to laws that are federal only. We’re just too afraid to do it with weed.

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mafiafish t1_j9z55vz wrote

Has anyone done some math on the potential annual income to NH that based on % of users in NH and their annual expenditure/amount used?

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zrad603 t1_ja69ntu wrote

I don't know, I just find it unfortunate that NH missed out on that economic boon. It could have, and should have been one of the first. Now it's the last New England state. So you aren't going to see a huge economic advantage to it happening now.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zhkoj wrote

This keeps coming up about the state wanting to monopolize sale as it does with liquor but it's speculation at best.

Edit: please someone tell me where this has been actually stated officially and I'll happily stand corrected. But you can't.

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juicebronston t1_j9zsyry wrote

Sununu has mentioned preferring a state-run model multiple times. This article mentions that:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/05/29/marijuana/sununu-signals-pivot-new-englands-last-dry-state-marijuana/

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cwalton505 t1_j9zv7jv wrote

It's paywalled. Can't read it.

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RandallFlagg1 t1_ja0g9hr wrote

You can just close it and click read full article. This is the only mention about Sununu and the state:

"Earlier this year, he surprised observers by saying legalization was probably “inevitable,” and that he would prefer a state-run model over alternatives."

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CumSicarioDisputabo t1_ja1fqj9 wrote

They demonstrate it in this new legalization bill they are trying to push through...the alcohol board would now be the weed and alcohol board AND they left out home growing just to make sure they can rake in all that cash.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3uv4e wrote

Losing money ? Apparently you have not done your homework on that subject. Most so called legal marijuana states report they spend more money due to problems with marijuana than the taxes they collect. Read it for yourself before you say I am a liar.

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alienwarezftw t1_j9yxdtb wrote

Biden is too busy playing his little war games worst president in the entire history of US

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Popshotzz t1_j9z2drw wrote

I'd love to know who your #2 and #3 are as you are obviously well versed in US political history.

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Syd1164 t1_j9zpask wrote

It’s simple…cannabis will not become recreational in NH until it is legalized federally(as stated). At that time, the NH state government will pass a law stating all recreational weed will be sold through STATE RUN FACILITIES just like the liquor stores. This pricing out any potential competition. The state will receive all revenue from any legal weed. No competition. Sorry mom and pop/potential business opportunities for granite staters/market competition. They are never going to pass a GYO bill. Y’all can keep saying”there are bills on the table”. I don’t see any of them being passed.

Live free or die…just don’t grow weed you dirty hippies!!

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quaffee t1_ja02ssf wrote

Why not legalize possession now and worry about the sales infrastructure later? Allow gifting and growing and wait for the Feds to legalize before establishing retail.

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alkatori t1_ja06a23 wrote

isn't possession already decriminalized? What's the difference between legalized possession vs decriminalized. I'm not well versed on this subject.

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quaffee t1_ja0hftr wrote

Decriminalization allows possession of up to 1/4 oz of flower, which is a very small amount even for personal use of a single person. There can be penalties for possession of larger amounts, so we're not out of the woods yet even for simple possession.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3r0vl wrote

Are you saying 1/4 oz is not enough for one person. Then it must mean one person after taking the 1/4 oz wants more. I say that is addiction and that is why Marijuana is designated as a class 1 drug.

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quaffee t1_ja3xetf wrote

It's more of a nuisance/logistics issue for consumers.

It would be like telling someone they can only possess a quart of milk at once. That person either breaks the law by buying more, or has to buy more milk every other day. Also, just like most products, buying smaller amounts is more expensive than buying in bulk. Am I "addicted" to milk for wanting to buy it in gallons? No, that's a ridiculous idea.

You should look into the actual definition for schedule 1, it's not just because a substance is addictive. Coffee and tobacco are both addictive, but they're not scheduled, and medical utility is dubious for those substances. Cannabis (having medical utility and low abuse potential) does not strictly meet the definition for schedule 1.

Scheduling cannabis was a convenient political decision for Nixon at the time when the drug war as we know it was really kicking off. It also has racist roots.

Regarding addiction, there's some disagreement in the community over whether cannabis is physically addictive, afaik the jury is out on that one so far.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja417ta wrote

>Thank you .I agree with some of the reply but if you are saying people buy milk every day is addictive then I disagree. In many homes there are families of four or five members and milk does not last long when that many are using it. Also milk is essential for proven good health not destructive cannabis which is not fully approved for good health as of yet according to the federal government and that is proof enough for me. I believe they know more about this drug than you and I. And milk drinkers are not going out killing and stealing to buy Marijuana and do not say that is not true. But thanks for the reply as everyone is entitled to their opinion. P.S. Judging from all the pro marijuana posters in this blog some who say 1/4 oz is not enough for one person I can only say that proves addiction even though that word embarrasses some marijuana abusers. AREN'T THEY SAYING THEY CANNOT GET ENOUGH MARIJUANA ? Also their are other federal reasons why it is banned and why it is said to be addictive. Regards.

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quaffee t1_ja4elzi wrote

"Judging from all the pro milk posters in this blog some who say 1/4 gallon is not enough for one person I can only say that proves addiction even though that word embarrasses some milk abusers. AREN'T THEY SAYING THEY CANNOT GET ENOUGH MILK ?"

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Syd1164 t1_ja0xzlh wrote

Why even give the people the opportunity if you don’t have too. Doing nothing is perfect. Once it goes federally legal, the NH gov will start making decisions real quick!

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quaffee t1_ja17zcb wrote

I don't really understand your comment. Give people what opportunity?

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Syd1164 t1_ja7k1x2 wrote

My point would be recreational cannabis is not going to happen because all the lawmakers won’t let it happen until it’s federally legal. It’s too much of a Wild West out there, look at Massachusetts. The NH gov is going to drag their feet until they are in a position to take over the entire cannabis market in NH…like the liquor stores. So to answer your question, there is little to nothing you can do to push Rec cannabis in the granite state. Unless you can become governor or win a seat in the NH gov.
Even then you would have little chance. There is too much money to be had and the NH gov isn’t going to let it’s citizens in on it.

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quaffee t1_ja8jd47 wrote

Well let's hope you're wrong. I understand where you're coming from though. Like many pro-legalization folks I see this as a justice, cognitive sovereignty and health issue. Whereas our lawmakers only seem to see 💲💲.

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Syd1164 t1_ja9ap5j wrote

I hope I’m wrong as well. More than anything but the cynic in me says follow the money.

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procrastinatorsuprem t1_j9yv0i4 wrote

Don't vote Republican.

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cat-gun OP t1_j9yvzcr wrote

Many Republicans are pro-cannabis legalization though, and some Democrats are anti-legalization. There's bi-partisan support for legalization.

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procrastinatorsuprem t1_j9yw3av wrote

Not in the Governor's desk.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zi5kw wrote

He decriminalized it at least. Dems Hassan and Lynch vehemently said they would shoot down anything. I'm guessing you prefer to ignore that thought with your state voting bit

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cat-gun OP t1_j9z47is wrote

Sununu has signed previous legallization bills in the past. (Such as for medical cannabis.) He may well change his mind this time, if it passes the Senate, in order to boost his Presidential run prospects.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3wfvc wrote

So you have a governor that obeys federal law, That is to be commended not trashed. We don't know how lucky we are to have a governor who follows the rules and does not sway from following rules just to get votes. In other words an honest governor.

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mmirate t1_j9z7eev wrote

> In the last election, four of the Senators who voted against legalization were replaced by pro-legalization Senators: > > > > Sen. Cavanaugh, Kevin J. [D] --> Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester > > Sen. Daniels, Gary L. [R] --> Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst > > Sen. Giuda, Robert "Bob" [R] --> Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton > > Sen. Morse, Charles "Chuck" W. [R] --> Sen. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem

Three of the four outgoing anti-legalization Senators are Republican, but so are three of the four incoming pro-legalization Senators.

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alkatori t1_ja064ts wrote

I need Republicans to change their stance on Weed and I need Democrats to change their stance on guns.

Until then I'm doing a split ticket to keep things mostly deadlocked.

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justbrowsing987654 t1_ja08k5h wrote

I’m a democrat but I don’t think this is a red v blue thing. This particular person who happens to be our governor isn’t in favor of it. Plenty of other republican governors in other states have been.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3x79k wrote

And plenty of they who are governors have broken the federal law. Some who only allowed marijuana for the votes.

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justbrowsing987654 t1_ja4bydy wrote

Right. I legit think marijuana is a cash cow and, as a tax payer, I’d LOVE the relief. As a 40 year old dad without the time I used to have, I’d love for it to have been ten years ago 😂

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procrastinatorsuprem t1_ja0ik1s wrote

In this case, we knew Sununu hasn't supported this in the past and Tom Sherman did.

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Grand-Palpitation t1_j9z2jfe wrote

thanks for the advice, i’ll be voting republican!

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AnythingToAvoidWork t1_j9z55ti wrote

Taking the L is your right, I suppose.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zicnw wrote

Interesting user name in this subject matter

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NoRedWave2022 t1_ja4lb5x wrote

Wait until you get a load of mine :)

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cwalton505 t1_ja4mj1r wrote

Lol you've clearly miscategorized me quite poorly. Your user name is kinda fucking weird tho.

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NoRedWave2022 t1_ja4lcys wrote

If you're a glutton for getting absolutely roflstomped, you're free to do what you want ❤️

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drivermcgyver t1_j9z40lm wrote

It's a regulatory issue. The state wants to treat weed like booze. They set the price and regulate it. Issue is in order to do that, it's gotta be legal federally and that's not going to happen soon.

Now if they wanted to just legalize it and not have it run by the state, we'd be in business.

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alkatori t1_ja05z53 wrote

Honestly, as a pro gun guy, we should do just what we did with guns. We aren't going to enforce your laws, and stay away.

Regulate it, set firewall it from the rest of the booze industry and charge forward.

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warren_stupidity t1_j9z7rsi wrote

Regulation isn't a problem. Every legal state also has a state regulatory agency controlling the market. That is actually part of the informal agreement with the DEA.

There is a theory, pretty clearly intended to deflect from Sununu's veto last time, that 'the state' must sell pot through the state stores. So who is this 'the state'? It obviously isn't the House.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zhqzx wrote

Speculation at best, stop saying it like it's fact. It could be a bunch of other different stupid reasons.

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juicebronston t1_j9zt9bd wrote

Speculation based on Sununu’s past comments.

Edit: There’s a handful of articles supporting this comment, which you can find on my post history and below. Plug your ears all you want, but Sununu has literally said that he finds a state-run model most appealing, which is why people are speculating that this would be the state’s preferred method.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3yeos wrote

Makes sense .I mean why should we let the pushers of recreational marijuana in our state when those pushers are from another state and are just using New Hampshire as a golden money egg. Those out of staters ( most likely from Massachusetts ) who are pushing to open stores in our state are the ones who are going to get rich and they will do so without any care of what recreational marijuana has done to crime in every legalized state in the country.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zv2rw wrote

Quote one

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juicebronston t1_j9zvwlz wrote

Besides the article I already shared with you, here is another quote regarding a state-run model - “If we’re ever going to do it, that’s probably the right structure to have.”

From here: https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/02/new-hampshire-bill-recreational-marijuana-sales-state-liquor-stores/7244063001/

Edit: You don’t have to like it, but it is true. I don’t know why there are multiple recent accounts saying that these quotes don’t exist, but I figure it has to do with his potential 2024 run?

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cwalton505 t1_j9zxvl5 wrote

Sorry I missed the part where you shared an article with me on a different reply as I'm going through one at a time. Also as I said there on my other reply, its paywalled. I'm not a mass guy I don't subscribe. I appreciate this link and will take a look

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drivermcgyver t1_j9zovys wrote

It's literally the reason. The state can't sell something that's classified as a schedule 1 drug.

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cwalton505 t1_j9zvdln wrote

Then fucking cite something dude. I speculated this fucking years ago but there has been no traction on it on any official standpoint I've seen.

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smartest_kobold t1_j9znar3 wrote

Unless you're in a position to threaten Sununu's inheritance, you're powerless.

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Griffe316 t1_ja12apq wrote

Went to the dispensary in tyngsboro today, that place is just raking in the money from NH residents. Stupid of our state not to legalize it and have that tax money for themselves

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Sixfeatsmall05 t1_ja04ucc wrote

Understanding there are dems that don’t support legislation, there is no upside for any republican to vote for this with the direction of much of their base and their most popular politicians going in a polar opposite direction. Their support for any legislation will be used against them in primaries to elect candidates who see no distinction between pot/fentanyl/legal immigration/and crime. They don’t care about how much revenue it can generate or the difference between pot and hard drugs. Casual correlation is enough

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cat-gun OP t1_ja05bqf wrote

74% of the population supports legal recreational weed. Three out of the four new senators who support legal weed are Republicans. It seems to me that it is the anti side that is swimming upstream.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3rtht wrote

Hmmm ! you say 74% of the population supports legal recreational weed. O.K. tell us where you get that number and if you say in a survey or poll tell us what survey or poll and then tell us how many people were contacted in that survey or poll and then tell us where that poll was taken. Thank you.

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unit_energy t1_ja0vq38 wrote

I think it's terrible that we have overwhelming support for this but a single politician can just say no.

I know that a lot of bills died in the Senate but it's still the case that one person can just say no and that's it. That's in no way, shape, or form a representative government.

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ILikeCrabbyRobots t1_ja0zo5r wrote

Figure out a way for us to get ballot initiatives in this state.

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mmirate t1_ja315dl wrote

Right, because that has been working so well in Oregon lately...

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Nanotude t1_ja15h4p wrote

It is always suggested that the state won't legalize it until the Feds decriminalize it because they want to sell it through the state sales model. I agree that it's a good idea for the state to use the same model that they use for liquor sales. It makes sense. But they absolutely could decriminalize it in the meantime while the feds get their heads out of their asses, and let people go to neighboring states to buy it, or let people grow it themselves. There's no reason not to decriminalize it.

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quaffee t1_ja0m4jb wrote

I've decided I'm sending a fax to the governor's office. Not sure if it will work, but they're probably not getting very many faxes these days. (I certainly could be wrong about that, knowing the state of NH gov.)

Also, having a fax machine and sending faxes is decidedly retro (but the uncool kind) just like our drug laws!

If anyone else wants to join me there are still free efax websites that are just a Google search away.

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nhpeach7 t1_ja0uqoi wrote

When is the Senate hearing? Will it help to show up and show support?

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xwxixnxdxoxwx t1_ja0zhwa wrote

Smoke weed in front of your local police department and state houses as protest

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captnfapin t1_ja184ty wrote

Talk to Carl if you wanna help, or Mike, if Carl’s busy.

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the-quibbler t1_ja28n4f wrote

I think the issue is that while 74% favor legalization, I don't believe that means 74% find the status quo onerous. Most people don't have any burning desire for legal weed, so allowing government to work slowly is fine for them.

In general, government being slow or incapable of action is better than the alternative. That's on display here. We're seeing Justice Brandeis' little laboratories of democracy in action.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3ttx4 wrote

You Can't !! However ,if you love marijuana so much move to the federally illegal marijuana state called Massachusetts. You can purchase it in stores and on many street corners all over that state.

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mafiafish t1_j9z4ycu wrote

Legalize and tax it for the benefit of those who obviously care deeply about it, but let towns have ordinances to ban use on inner-city streets - stuff stinks to high heaven.

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BlackJesus420 t1_j9z5i8h wrote

Holy cow this weed conversation is incessant 😵‍💫

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warren_stupidity t1_j9z7y0i wrote

70% of the people of this state want it legalized. This is an obvious failure of representative government.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja0ybjg wrote

70% That is your hope. If you are right PROVE IT ! And don't try to prove it with the same survey.

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warren_stupidity t1_ja16kg6 wrote

Ok. “Seven in ten New Hampshire residents support legalizing marijuana for recreational use” - recent UNH survey. https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/730/

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja1dm8g wrote

With all due respect surveys mean nothing to me . Why? here is why ,in this case there are 1,388.992.people in New Hampshire. Unless 75 % of that population was surveyed the survey or polls are incomplete and not accurate for the entire states thought. or preferences. Regards P. S. I am familiar with UNH surveys.

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warren_stupidity t1_ja2libl wrote

Obviously you’re beyond reasonable discussion. Have a nice day.

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja3sw66 wrote

Unreasonable because it disagrees with you ?????? Now that's unreasonable !!!!

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warren_stupidity t1_ja40qtz wrote

When someone asks for proof of an assertion of fact, then rejects the evidence provided without any attempt to offer contrary evidence, they are not arguing in good faith, they are instead being unreasonable

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Potential-Village-61 t1_ja44yna wrote

Your evidence proves nothing. It is your opinion show us the paperwork on letterheads and maybe we will start to believe and in that paper work make sure we are told how many people were polled and what group of people were surveyed. Words in blogs are usually opinion and most of them are non factual do not believe any survey you read unless they have surveyed at least 75% of the New Hampshire population. This is my last reply between you and I as you are not willing to accept anything other than your opinion. MY regards to you and Goodbye

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Potential-Village-61 t1_j9zpgk9 wrote

My extreme thanks to all politicians that voted against the dangerous marijuana recreational bill. It is good some people understand the real truth about this class 1 drug

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razed_intheghetto t1_j9yxvol wrote

Lets not and keep it outlaw!

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warren_stupidity t1_j9z8cj1 wrote

why?

Also you do understand that possession was partially decriminalized years ago, right?

People are buying and using weed all over the state, they are just buying it legally in the legal states or privately, and in either case the potential state revenue is lost.

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razed_intheghetto t1_j9zei5m wrote

Bc half of the legel stuff is trash

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warren_stupidity t1_j9zycew wrote

Ok that is basically the worst argument for keeping prohibition that I’ve heard, and the competition in this category is very strong.

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