NH House passes legalization bill despite Gov’s opposition 🌿

LIVE FREE OR?
New Hampshire House passes legalization bill, despite Governor’s opposition

What happened: New Hampshire’s House passed a Republican-led bill that would legalize cannabis consumption and possession in the state, while stopping short of establishing a regulated market. 

The bill, HB 75, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Verville, would simply remove state penalties for cannabis.

But Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who took office earlier this month, said she would veto any cannabis legislation that crossed her desk.

The bill’s passage is a bit of a turnaround from earlier this year when New Hampshire’s House leader said the “ship had sailed,” on legalization. 

What they’re saying: State Rep. Jodi Newell, speaking in favor of the bill, said she represents: “[t]he overwhelming majority of Granite Staters who implore this body to end the criminalization of cannabis, to end the fear of unnecessary disruption to people’s lives in the event that they find cannabis to be their nighttime sleep aid, their mood enhancer or their morning pick-me-up,” per Marijuana Moment. 

Let’s back up for a second: Until now, New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die motto has been challenged by the fact that state residents are not able to freely consume cannabis. 

But Granite State lawmakers have repeatedly tried to legalize cannabis and regulate sales in the small New England state to no avail, yet. 

Last year, the state’s best shot so far — a Republican-sponsored bill that former Gov. Chris Sununu said he would support — was ultimately tabled by House Democrats who said that the state-run franchise model proposed in the legislation would hand too much power to the state government to set prices. 

As an aside, it’s a reminder that everything with cannabis policy is bizarro-world: New Hampshire Republicans sought state control. Democrats wanted an industry dominated by small, local businesses. 

This new bill wouldn’t regulate sales, leaving New Hampshire cannabis consumers to drive across the border to Vermont or Maine, in the same way residents of those states often drive to New Hampshire to buy tax-free liquor. 

What’s next: We imagine that the bill is a nonstarter for Ayotte given her very public anti-cannabis comments on the campaign trail. 

She’ll likely borrow a page out of fellow Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s book (and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for that matter), who seems determined to continue overriding the will of Virginia’s people by vetoing cannabis legislation dutifully passed by the state’s legislature.

But if Ayotte changes her tune, we imagine that another bill creating regulations for sales would soon follow. Ultimately the state will want to keep that sweet, sweet tax revenue at home. 

Live free, unless you consume cannabis, until then.

-JB

“It kind of felt a little bit like they were trying to use these 'Reefer Madness' scare tactics to try to take down a hemp industry that for the most part is doing a really good job,” Cann CEO Jake Bullock told Politico, about California’s recent crackdown on intoxicating hemp products.

Bullock founded Cann, one of the most recognizable cannabis-infused beverage brands (their ad campaigns are creative and feature celebrities, Olympians, and influencers). 

Cann, like other consumer cannabis brands, has pushed into the intoxicating hemp space as they’re able to sell the products outside traditional dispensary channels and across state lines. Hemp-derived THC was technically legalized via the 2018 Farm Bill, while traditional cannabis is federally illegal and can only be purchased in state-legal licensed dispensaries. 

But lawmakers, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have cracked down recently on hemp-derived products. Bullock said on LinkedIn that while there is a need to regulate super high potency and synthetic cannabis products, the market for low potency products made by established brands Cann should remain. It’s an interesting discussion. 

Read the Politico story. ($) 

70% of Pennsylvanians support legalization 🗳️

Nearly 70% Pennsylvania voters, including a majority of Republicans, support legalization, according to a new poll commissioned by the advocacy group ResponsiblePA. Gov. Josh Shapiro called for legalization in the state budget earlier this month, and now lawmakers need to deliver him a bill.

Trump’s pardon czar 🤝

President Donald Trump will appoint Alice Johnson, whose sentence he commuted during his first term, as a “pardon czar” in the White House, The New York Times reports. Johnson, who is now in her late 60s, was sentenced to life plus 25 years for cocaine possession and money-laundering and had been in prison since 1996 before her release in 2018. It’s not yet clear what the role would entail, but hopefully, it’s a sign that the Trump Administration will take a less punitive tack toward drug crime than the first go-around, though his policies contain many contradictions on that front.

University at Buffalo partners with New York and Jamaican companies on cannabis research 🧪

The University at Buffalo is teaming up with companies in Jamaica and a neurology institute to study the medical benefits of cannabis. Their goal is to create research centers in Jamaica and run international trials to develop safe, reliable cannabis-based medicines. Read more.

Motherhood and medical cannabis 👶

Mothers in New Zealand use medical cannabis to manage health issues like anxiety and chronic pain, which they feel helps them be better parents, according to new research. However, high costs, stigma, and legal risks make access difficult, leading many to self-medicate and have open conversations with their children to reduce negative perceptions. The study titled "Motherhood and medicinal cannabis" was conducted by researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Read it here.

The median tax rate for states that tax cannabis at the point of sale is 17%, according to a report from Ohio State’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. Ohio Republicans want to increase the rate to 20.75%. 

Below, you can see how much each state charges — including Virginia’s proposed tax. Download the full report.

Trulieve’s strain partnership with rapper and stoner-extraordinaire, Wiz Khalifa, will be available in retail stores:

Michigan marijuana faces ‘year of reckoning’ in 2025 | Michigan Live

Cannabis might be legal, but is it safe? That might depend on age, genetics and frequency of use | WBUR