Legislation that would legalize marijuana for everyone 21 and older, first filed in January, has been scheduled for a legislative work session next week.
The subcommittee work session on House Bill 544 will take place at 10 am in Legislative Office Building 302-304. The proposed law was filed by State Representative Daniel Eaton along with with cosponsors.
House Bill 544 would regulate marijuana similar to alcohol. It would put control of the legal marijuana market in the hands of the state liquor commission.
Earlier this month New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R) signed into law legislation to create a commission designed to prepare the state for the legalization of marijuana and give recommendations on how lawmakers can most effectively achieve that goal.
Governor Sununu, who was previously opposed to legalizing marijuana, now supports legalizing marijuana like alcohol.
“New Hampshire has an opportunity to safely regulate the sale of marijuana with a model few others can provide,” says Governor Sununu. “By establishing a commission to study state-controlled sales, this bill will bring stakeholders from across New Hampshire together to ensure that preventing negative impacts upon kids remains our number one priority.”
In April New Hampshire’s House of Representatives voted 272 to 109 to pass a bill that would have legalized recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older. The bill, introduced by Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm (D) failed to advance in the Senate.
