A bill to legalize marijuana in the state is going through some changes in hopes of finding approval
A meeting yesterday saw lawmakers discuss a revised bill to legalize cannabis in New Hampshire. The different members of the panel made their thoughts known on an amendment that is likely to be put to a vote next week. New Hampshire remains one of those states considering legalization, and 2023 may be the decisive year for such a decision.
House Majority Leader Jason Osbornem and Minority Leader Matt Wilhelm are the sponsors of the original version of the legislation. This measure has now been mixed with various concepts in a new, separate reform bill, stripping out provisions that overturned previous marijuana convictions and allowed home cultivation of the plant.
A vote is expected to take place next week before the House Liquor Subcommittee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs to allow members to weigh in on the revised version before it potentially comes to the floor. Over the past few weeks, lawmakers have held several sessions to fine-tune the details they believe are appropriate.
A couple of days ago, they debated the merits of different regulatory models. This opened up discussions on what might represent an acceptable compromise to the governor, who has long demonstrated his opposition.
Unlike many other states where an independent regulatory commission is designed, the modified version seeks to rely on the existing Liquor Commission to provide that authority. The entity would be renamed the Liquor and Cannabis Commission. It is now a matter of the next week dictating the new vote results and seeing what the true fate of the amended version is.