Today, the New Hampshire Senate deadlocked 12-12 in an initial vote on HB 53, a bill that would allow limited home cultivation for registered patients and caregivers. Then, following a brief recess, the Senate resumed and voted to table the bill in a 16-8 party line vote.
Senator Debra Altschiller spoke in favor of the bill, urging her colleagues to pass it. Senator Daryl Abbas disagreed, arguing that it would not be possible for the state to regulate home cultivation. In the initial vote, four Republicans (Senators Innis, McGough, Murphy, and Sullivan) joined all eight Democrats in supporting home cultivation.
The bill can still be removed from the table and passed if 13 senators vote to do so. If you support home cultivation, you might want to send your senator an email. If they voted in favor, you can thank them for doing so, and if they voted against, you can respectfully urge them to support removing HB 53 from the table and passing it.
Senators who voted in favor of home grow: Altschiller, Fenton, Innis, Long, McGough, Murphy, Perkins Kwoka, Prentiss, Reardon, Rosenwald, Sullivan, Watters.
Senators who voted against home grow: Abbas, Avard, Birdsell, Carson, Gannon, Gray, Lang, McConkey, Pearl, Ricciardi, Rochefort, Ward.
Not sure which of these individuals is your state senator? Find out here.
Senate Also Rejects Two Other Cannabis Bills
The Senate also rejected HB 51, a modest bill that would have allowed alternative treatment centers (ATCs) to utilize non-intoxicating cannabinoids derived from hemp. Senator Abbas pre-empted the floor debate by making a motion to table the bill, and this motion passed in a voice vote.
As with HB 53, the bill can still be removed from the table and passed if 13 senators vote to do so.
The third cannabis bill considered today was HB 75, which would legalize possession and sale of unlimited amounts of cannabis with no regulations. This bill was rejected in a 15-9 vote.
Senate Judiciary Committee Votes Against Two More Cannabis Bills
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to recommend against passage of two additional cannabis bills. These bills will be scheduled for votes in the full Senate:
- HB 190 (Howard) would increase the purchase and possession limit for therapeutic cannabis from 2 ounces to 4 ounces. The House passed it in a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected it in a 3-2 party line vote.
- HB 198 (Sullivan) would legalize possession of up to two ounces of cannabis for adults. It would also establish civil penalties for public smoking or vaping (a 3rd offense within 5 years could be charged as a misdemeanor). The House passed it 208-125. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected it in a 3-2 party line vote.
The committee has not yet taken action on these three bills:
- HB 196 (Wheeler) would improve New Hampshire’s cannabis annulment law by removing the fee, allowing for a more streamlined process, and applying it to any misdemeanor and violation-level cannabis possession record from before January 1, 2025. The House passed it in a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet voted on this bill.
- HB 301 (Vail) would allow ATCs to operate a second cultivation location, which would have to be a greenhouse, subject to all the rules and regulations that apply to current ATC production facilities. (Currently all cultivation must take place indoors.) The House passed it in a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet voted on this bill.
- HB 380 (Vail) would eliminate the extra felony penalty for diverting therapeutic cannabis. (Selling cannabis is a felony for anybody in N.H., so patients could face two felony charges for the same offense.) The House passed it in a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet voted on this bill.
If you’d like to support any of these bills, the best thing to do is email or call your state senator. You can find your senator’s contact information by selecting your town from the drop-down box on this page.
Here are a few tips for writing an effective email to your state senator:
- Focus on sharing personal experiences that illustrate how the bills you are writing about would benefit you or others.
- Include the bill numbers for any bill you are asking them to support.
- Always be polite and respectful. Legislators do not respond favorably to insulting or belittling communications.
- Include your name and town so they will know you are a constituent.
