As New Hampshire lawmakers move toward potentially making the state the 25th in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana, separate legislation to significantly expand the state's existing medical cannabis program is also advancing toward final passage.
House and Senate negotiators on conference committees arrived at deals on language for the measures ahead of a Thursday deadline. One proposal would allow doctors to recommend marijuana for any condition they believe would be improved through cannabis use, and the other would expand the pool of healthcare professionals who can recommend medical marijuana.
Both bills now return to each legislative chamber for up-or-down votes. If they succeed, they would next go to the desk of Gov. Chris Sununu (R). The compromises come in addition to agreement reached Thursday on legislation to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults, a bargain struck after months of tension between the two houses on how to approach the reform.
On the qualifying conditions bill, HB 1278, members of the conference committee agreed to go with the version of the bill passed by the House in March, recommending that its language be adopted by both chambers.
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