For the 12th time in the last 16 years, the New Hampshire House has passed a bill that would allow patients to grow therapeutic cannabis at home. This time, the margin of victory was enormous: 328-42! If you’d like to see how your representative(s) voted on HB 53, here is the roll call.
- HB 53 (Thomas) would allow home cultivation of therapeutic cannabis for qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate limited amounts. The limit would be 3 mature plants, 3 immature plants, and 12 seedlings for each patient.
Next, the bill will advance to the Senate for further consideration. The Senate has previously approved home cultivation bills in 2012, 2019, and 2020. In 2019, a home grow bill passed both chambers and was vetoed by the governor.
Three Other Cannabis Bills Pass House
The House also passed three other cannabis-related bills this week:
- HB 51 (Thomas) would enable ATCs to expand product offerings by utilizing affordable non-intoxicating cannabinoids (e.g. CBD, CBG, and CBN) derived from hemp. ATCs would be required to have hemp-derived cannabinoids tested by an independent lab before using them to make products for patients, to ensure safety. The House approved this bill in a unanimous vote without objection or debate, advancing it to the Senate.
- HB 75 (Verville) would legalize unlimited possession, cultivation, and sale of cannabis for adults with no regulation of sales. This bill passed the House in a voice vote. However, it is extremely unlikely that the Senate will take this bill seriously. Two other legalization bills are still pending in the House.
- HB 196 (Wheeler) would create a process for automatically annulling previous offenses for cannabis possession. This bill passed in a voice vote.
More legislative action is expected soon, so stay tuned for updates!
