New Hampshire governor rejects chances of legalization bill

Democratic and Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire are preparing for another attempt to legalize marijuana, but the state’s governor doesn’t think they will succeed.

The latest cannabis bill being introduced in the New Hampshire legislature has the support of members of both parties, and the proposal was considered at a hearing in the State House Commerce Committee on Wednesday, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

Republicans control the New Hampshire state government and hold majorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives.

The state’s governor, Chris Sununu, is also a Republican.

Like last year, when further legalization of marijuana was considered, the proposal has exposed a rift within the New Hampshire GOP.

While the House of Representatives has “repeatedly supported plans to legalize cannabis,” according to New Hampshire Public Radio, the Republican-led Senate has not been on board.

Meanwhile, Sununu poses another obstacle to the law.

“I’ve always said now is not the right time. Each state does it differently. I’ve always wanted to see what works and what doesn’t,” Sununu said in a governor’s debate last year. “There may be a way, but given that we’re facing an opioid crisis, as we still don’t know what’s working with other states, it could be inevitable, I understand, but you have to be patient with how you’re doing it and the steps best for New Hampshire.

On Wednesday, Sununu’s office dismissed the prospect of the latest legalization law.

“It has failed repeatedly in the Senate, both in the Republican and Democrat years,” the governor’s office said, as quoted by New Hampshire Public Radio. “With teenage drug use and overdose on the rise, don’t expect lawmakers to see this as a time to ignore the data and push it forward.”

However, Sununu has supported other cannabis-related reforms.

According to the Associated Press, “Sununu signed legislation decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, expanding access to medical marijuana, and creating a system to overturn past marijuana possession convictions,” but “a recreational use bill never reached his desk.”

“Governor Sununu has done more on marijuana reform issues than any other governor in New Hampshire history,” Sununu spokesman Ben Vihstadt told the AP.

The bill was announced last month by two senior members of the state House of Representatives: House Majority Leader Jason Osborne and Democratic House Speaker Matt Wilhelm.

“The House of Representatives has long agreed to find a way for Granite Staters to do this,” Osborne said at the time. “With any luck, the Senate will support the will of the vast majority of New Hampshire citizens.”

On Wednesday, Osborne stumbled for the bill before the House Commerce Committee.

“What you see is the culmination of several months of work by a whole coalition of groups and advocates, from the business side to the consumer side, from the civil rights side to the economic freedom side, as well as the recovery community and people concerned about safety of children,” Osborne said at the hearing, as quoted by the Associated Press. “It’s time we got something done.”

The Associated Press reports that “a coalition including both the ACLU of New Hampshire and the conservative group Americans for Prosperity is backing a bipartisan bill to legalize the drug, regulate and tax retail outlets, and allow its cultivation at home.” enable,” and that most of the proceeds from marijuana sales “would go towards reducing state pension obligations, with some going to substance abuse prevention programs and other groups.”