N.H. House Subcommitee stalemates on tax-and-regulate bill; Medical marijuana push planned for 2011

Published: October 14, 2010

Yesterday, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee concluded its interim study process on HB 1652, an MPP-drafted bill which would tax and regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. A four-member subcommittee conducted the interim study and voted 2-2 on a positive report recommending that the bill be reintroduced in the 2011-2012 legislative session. This sent the bill forward to the full committee, which, after failing to reach a consensus on the issue, voted 15-2 against explicitly recommending future legislation on the subject. Rep. David Welch (R-Kingston) said he felt the proposal was simply “too much, too soon,” a phrase that was echoed by several other committee members over the course of a nearly hour-long discussion. Committee members intend to focus instead on passing medical marijuana and decriminalization of personal possession laws.

When the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee first voted on HB 1652 on Jan. 27, it nearly passed the bill in an 8-10 vote before agreeing (16-2) to refer the bill for interim study.  The bill’s support was bipartisan, with four Republicans and four Democrats voting to pass and sponsors from both parties.  The legislation would have made it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and created a framework for the state to tax and strictly regulate the production and sale of marijuana.  Even though the committee decided to pass on legislation, the interim study process was very positive and productive overall, and the subcommittee’s members considered the proposal objectively and with open minds.

A major force in moving this bill has been Matt Simon, executive director for the NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy (NH Common Sense). Matt has done amazing work for marijuana policy in New Hampshire for several years now, and he will be missed after he steps down at the end of the year. At the hearing, he and other advocates contrasted a safe and regulated marijuana market with the current state of affairs, in which the lucrative marijuana marketplace is left entirely in the hands of criminal gangs and cartels. NH Common Sense will continue as strong as ever, with Matt as the chairman of the board of directors, and a new face stepping up to spearhead the day-to-day operations.

While progress on ending marijuana prohibition is moving slowly but steadily along, we are hopeful that in the meantime seriously ill patients will receive the protection they deserve. We were only two votes away from protecting patients in 2009, and we need your help to triumph in 2011. Our bill, HB 648, passed both houses of the legislature, but was vetoed by Gov. John Lynch (D). The New Hampshire General Court narrowly failed to get two-thirds of both houses to override his veto on October 28, 2009. The override passed in the House by a vote of 240-115, but only garnered a 14-10 vote in the Senate. We are gearing up for the introduction of a revised bill in January. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster), has already taken the first step by filing a legislative service request (2011-H-0107-R). Next year’s bill language will address all of Gov. Lynch’s stated concerns from his veto message, and we hope it will be enough to finally get him to do the right thing and sign the bill. If you are a patient or medical professional who would like to get involved, please e-mail Noah Mamber at nmamber@mpp.org. Please include your complete address, including your zip code (so that we can determine what district you live in), along with background information on why this bill is important to you.

Don’t forget, the general election will be November 2 and you can register to vote until ten days before that. You can register to vote or check the status of your registration at New Hampshire Secretary of State. As always, thanks for all you do, and don’t forget to get out and vote!