Title:
N.H. medical marijuana override vote falls short
Message:
I am very sorry to report that the Senate vote to override Gov. John Lynch’s veto of SB 409 fell short today. Sixteen “yes” votes were needed, but it only received 13.
Sixteen state senators voted for SB 409 this year, but Sen. Andy Sanborn resigned to run for another seat, leaving his seat vacant. Maddeningly, Senators Lou D'Allesandro (D) and Sylvia Larsen (D) played politics with patients’ welfare and voted to uphold Lynch’s veto. Previously, they consistently voted for SB 409.
While this is extremely frustrating, we made incredible progress this year. We went from a single Republican senator voting “yes” in 2009 — or 10% of Republican senators — to the majority of Republican senators voting “yes” this year.
Crucially, Gov. Lynch is not running for re-election, and we are hopeful that the next governor will be compassionate. In addition, at least two of today’s “no” votes — Senators Prescott and D’Allesandro — are facing challengers who support medical marijuana. We believe that, with continued hard work, next year will be the year.
Thank you to everyone who helped get the bill to the brink of victory. We will keep you posted, so you can express your appreciation or disappointment at the ballot box.
