Recreational marijuana use is still illegal everywhere except New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Senate rejected a bill to allow recreational marijuana use on Thursday, making it the only New England state with such a ban.
The bill was ultimately defeated by the Republican-controlled Senate (14–10).
There has been widespread bipartisan support in the House for legalizing bills in recent years, but the Senate has frequently blocked these measures. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said earlier this year that, despite rising drug use and overdoses among young people, he did not expect new legislation to reach his desk.
The Senate President of the Republicans in the state, Jeb Bradley, has said that with the state in the midst of a drug addiction and overdose problem, now is not the time to legalize marijuana.
“Recreationalizing marijuana at this critical juncture would send a confusing message, potentially exacerbating the already perilous drug landscape and placing more lives at risk,” he said.
Democratic House Leader Matt Wilhelm has said the movement to legalize marijuana in New Hampshire has overwhelming support. He also suggested that drug control measures could safeguard public health.
A proponent of ongoing prohibition in New Hampshire, Wilhelm said, “Every day that New Hampshire remains an island of prohibition, more voluntary tax revenue from our residents flows to fund programs and services benefiting their residents.”
The bill, which the House had previously passed, proposed taxing marijuana growing at 12.5% and giving the state’s Liquor Commission regulatory responsibility over the industry.
The tax revenue would have been split between the state’s pension liability and the state’s education trust fund, with the larger amount going toward substance abuse prevention programs and police training.
Critics have referred to widespread law enforcement opposition and the devastating impact of the drug pandemic on families and communities as evidence against legalization.
Frank Knaack, director of ACLU policy in New Hampshire, was critical of senators who voted down the initiative.
More than a thousand people, disproportionately people of color, are arrested in New Hampshire each year, yet “these lawmakers are willing to ignore the will of their own constituents,” he said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Tuesday that the full Senate reject the bill by a vote of 3-2, with votes falling along partisan lines. Legislation to allow home growing of medical cannabis and to lessen penalties for some drug offenses were also proposed by the committee.