New Hampshire's Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a cannabis legalization bill on Wednesday, marking the first time in state history that a panel in the chamber has signed off on the reform.
Legalization advocates said the action represents the proposal clearing a major hurdle on its way to the desk of Gov. Chris Sununu (R).
"The odds of New Hampshire legalizing cannabis this year just dramatically increased," Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Marijuana Moment in an email. "For the first time ever, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a legalization bill after first amending the bill in a way that addresses Gov. Sununu's parameters."
Before approving the House-passed measure, HB 1633, members of the Senate committee adopted a sweeping amendment from Sen. Daryl Abbas (R), who chaired a failed state commission on legalization late last year. Among other revisions, Abbas's amendment increases the proposed penalties for public consumption of cannabis to include the possibility of jail time and levies a franchise fee—effectively a tax—on medical cannabis purchases.
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