New Hampshire Senate defeats marijuana policy reform bill

On May 1, the New Hampshire Senate defeated HB 1623 on a voice vote. Not one senator spoke in favor of the bill. This sensible legislation would have reduced the penalty for possessing one-quarter ounce of marijuana to violation, punishable by a maximum fine of $200. The full Senate vote followed a 4-0 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in favor of recommending the bill "inexpedient to legislate."

Please contact your senator now and tell him or her you are disappointed and will remember this vote in November.

In March, after listening to their constituents, the House of Representatives voted 191-143 to pass this legislation. And last month, a Mason-Dixon poll showed a clear majority of New Hampshire voters support an even more ambitious penalty reduction. By a resounding 53-34 percent margin, New Hampshire voters support "a change in the law to provide for a $100 fine without jail time for those who possess an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use."

Call your senator now and let him or her know that you are tired of legislators ignoring their constituents on this important issue. You can find your senator's name and his or her contact information here.

We would like to thank Matt Simon of N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy for doing an incredible job leading the lobbying effort on this bill. This was the first year in recent history that a marijuana policy reform bill passed one chamber of the legislature, and Matt deserves a lot of credit for that. We'd also like to thank Reps. Jeff Fontas (D-Nashua) and Andrew Edwards (D-Nashua) for sponsoring the bill. Without their dedication to this legislation, there is no doubt that the bill would not have passed the House. And of course, thank you to everyone who took action by attending the hearings and writing, calling, and meeting with their legislators. Your action helped convince many representatives to support this.

While we made great progress this year, we are going to continue to fight to pass legislation to reform these draconian marijuana laws. Please take action now so next year the senators will stand up for this sensible legislation.