The New Hampshire Senate on Thursday defeated a bill that was amended in the House to include language legalizing the possession and home cultivation of marijuana for adult use. Cannabis reform has been a struggle in the Senate, with the chamber separately rejecting the GOP-led standalone home grow bill as well as a measure to create a state-run marijuana market late last month. In an attempt to give the Senate “another chance” to pass the non-commercial cannabis bill HB 629, members of the House adopted an amendment last week to include its language in a criminal justice-related measure SB 299, which had already cleared the chamber. But the Senate declined to take that opportunity, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans to vote 15-9 not to concur with the amended SB 299 on Thursday. Rep. Carol McGuire (R) is the sponsor of HB 629, which moved through the House and also advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee with an ought to pass recommendation last month before being rejected on the floor. The Senate was given three options with respect to the amended bill with the legalization language: concur, non-concur, and request a conference committee or non-concur and not request a conference committee. As advocates expected, the body went with that last option. Prior to the vote, Sen. Becky Whitley (D) spoke in favor of the reform measure, saying that it “gives us another opportunity to listen to the vast majority of our constituents.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/12/2022 14:37:00