New Hampshire: Urge your senators to support decriminalizing marijuana

Published: April 12, 2010

Do you think that someone should go to jail for up to a year for possessing a small amount of marijuana? That outrageous sentence would be perfectly legal under current New Hampshire law. But a bill currently in the Senate would change that, replacing criminal penalties with a civil fine of up to $200.

HB 1653 would reduce the penalty for possessing 1/4 ounce or less of marijuana to a fine of up to $200 and forfeiture of the marijuana. It also makes possessing 1/4 ounce or less of marijuana a violation — not a criminal offense. The bill received a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 6. The committee has yet to vote on the bill, and your senator needs to hear from you that you support this sensible reform and that you would like them to vote "yes" on the bill when the time comes.

Please write your senator an e-mail in support of passing HB 1653 by using our automated system. The House passed the bill by a wide margin (214-137, or 64%) on March 10. But the last time the House passed a similar bill, in 2008, it died in the Senate on a voice vote. Gov. John Lynch has said publicly that he will veto this bill if it reaches his desk, but it’s vital to tell lawmakers that New Hampshire residents support sensible marijuana laws, no matter what the governor currently thinks about them. 

Be sure to take a moment to send a letter to your senator now, telling him or her that you support ending criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

We have several prewritten letters available for you to use, but feel free to write your own. You can remind senators that this bill is a good way to save money and police time and to bring marijuana sanctions more in line with the actual severity of the conduct. It would also spare upstanding citizens from being plagued for the rest of their lives by criminal records.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this along to your friends, family, and e-mail lists in New Hampshire, so they can join the fight to improve New Hampshire’s marijuana laws.