November elections key to legalization’s prospects

New Hampshire is the only state in New England that hasn’t legalized cannabis for adults. Despite legalization passing both the House and Senate in 2024 — and having the governor’s support — it did not make it past the finish line. To avoid a veto from Gov. Chris Sununu (R), the Senate-passed version of the bill included a state franchise stores approach and a 15-store cap. The House narrowly rejected the revised bill in June, after having passed its version of HB 1633 with a nearly two-thirds supermajority.

This year’s elections will be key to whether New Hampshire finally lives up to its “Live Free or Die” motto. In the governor’s race, legalization supporter Joyce Craig and prohibitionist candidate Kelly Ayotte are facing off in a race ranked as a “toss up” by Cook Political Report. Meanwhile, every state Senate seat is on the ballot and there are four open seats — three of which were “no” votes in 2024. Four of the GOP senators who voted “yes” on the franchise bill in 2024 voted “no” on a better bill in 2023. The Senate composition is key to whether a solid bill could pass, or if a 2025 bill would also have to be extremely restrictive to clear the upper chamber.

MPP sent out a candidate questionnaire to Senate candidates to ask where they stand on  four issues: cannabis legalization, integrating and prioritizing the therapeutic cannabis program, record-clearing, and home grow. Make sure you’re signed up for MPP’s email alerts, so you can get our voter guide which we will release in late September.

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