Yesterday, the New Hampshire Senate voted to approve HB 1633, advancing it to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration. The Senate’s deadline for acting on this bill is next Thursday, May 23, so we are getting close to the end of this long process.
The Senate Finance Committee will meet to consider HB 1633 on Tuesday, May 21, and they will focus on issues relating to fees and expenditures. One issue they are likely to reconsider is whether patients should be exempt from the 15% “franchise” fee when they make purchases at franchise stores.
We believe patients should be able to purchase tax-free cannabis at any cannabis store in the state. Unfortunately, the bill would not provide any tax breaks or discounts for patients if they shop at franchise retail stores. If you agree that patients should not be taxed, please email the seven senators on this committee and tell them how you feel:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Here’s a sample script that you can personalize and use:
Dear Members of the Senate Finance Committee,
I am a registered patient with the Therapeutic Cannabis Program, and I am writing to express my concerns regarding HB 1633. Patients should be able to purchase cannabis products tax-free at any store in the state. New Hampshire doesn’t tax medications, so there is no justification for taxing cannabis that is intended for therapeutic use.
Please amend the bill to clarify that patients will not be taxed.
Thank you,
____________
One Good Amendment, Several Bad Amendments
Before approving the bill, the Senate adopted several floor amendments. One amendment is an improvement, but others are extremely problematic. Sadly, the amendment we informed you about in our previous blog was withdrawn.
- The one good amendment that passed would limit licensing to one cannabis establishment of any single category to prevent the market from being dominated by a tiny number of wealthy individuals or “Big Marijuana” companies.
- Another amendment would create a new criminal penalty for consuming cannabis in a motor vehicle. (This would apply even if you’re a passenger and you consume an edible, and there is no exception for registered patients).
- A third amendment would create a “Cannabis Control Commission” comprised primarily of prohibitionists. This commission would have absolute authority to approve or reject rules governing the new program. It’s hard to see how a legal market can possibly be implemented with this commission standing in the way of progress.
- The bill still includes a new criminal penalty for 2nd offense public consumption and other troubling provisions.
Senator Chandley Speaks up for Patients and ATCs
There was one bright spot during the otherwise frustrating debate: Senator Shannon Chandley spoke up in favor of our program! Here’s what she said (video available here):
I think that the bill that we are hopefully going to pass has deficiencies. I hope those deficiencies will be addressed. We have several steps more before this would pass out of the legislature, so I hope some of that will be addressed now or in the future.
–Senator Shannon Chandley
One of the things that concerns me is a tax on patients with therapeutic cannabis. I do think therapeutic cannabis is distinctly different from recreational and we need to treat it as such.
Secondly, I think the ATCs who have been dispensing cannabis in the state responsibly and without incident should be given some preference for licenses provided that they meet all the qualifications for licensing, and I think it is erroneous to dismiss their experience and their expertise, and I hope we will continue to consider those issues.
If you live in Senator Chandley’s district (Amherst, Merrimack, Milford, or Wilton), please consider sending her an email thanking her for speaking up for patients and the Therapeutic Cannabis Program. Her email address is [email protected].
