Gov Sununu Postpones New Hampshire's Cannabis Legalization Bid Until 2024, Irking Opponents

Governor Chris Sununu's (R) last-minute ultimatum on the legalization of cannabis in New Hampshire forced the commission to end its session with no recommendations, leaving the reform proposal for 2024. 

What happened: On Monday, the governor’s office told the commission tasked with drafting the legalization bill that Sununu will only accept 15 retail storefronts under a franchisee model and that he is requiring a ban on lobbying and political contributions by cannabis licensees, reported WMUR. 

The governor’s adviser on addiction and behavioral health, David Mara said “We are adamant about that number, 15. We don’t want to see a proliferation of what’s happening in other states,” according to Hampshire Bulletin. 

Mara added that the safety of citizens should be first and that retail sales are “something we’ve got to move slowly on. Perhaps in the future, the Legislature could always change that. After this thing gets up and running, then more could either be added or deleted in relation to how things progress.”

Sen. Rebecca Whitley (D) was one of many lawmakers who were surprised by the governor’s last-minute action.

“At the very last meeting, the last half-hour, now, all of the sudden, we're considering things that flew in from the governor's office last minute," Whitley said. "This is not how we legislate."

Yet again, @GovChrisSununu swoops in at the 11th hour to stymie our work on legalization. The vast majority of Granite Staters support legalization and it's past time we had a Governor who listens to the will of the people. #NHPolitics https://t.co/bPa4KZLeGX

— Becky Whitley (@BeckyWhitleyNH) November 28, 2023

"It's definitely something of concern, something we haven't seen before in other aspects of New Hampshire law,” said Frank Knaack of the ACLU New Hampshire.

Why it matters: No recommendations from the commission this year make New Hampshire the only New England state where adult-use cannabis remains illegal. 

In August, Sununu signed a bill creating a commission to develop legislation for state-operated cannabis stores, similar to those of liquor sales.

“New Hampshire has an opportunity to safely regulate the sale of marijuana with a model few others can provide,” Sununu said at the time. “By establishing a commission to study state-controlled sales, this bill will bring stakeholders from across New Hampshire together to ensure that preventing negative impacts upon kids remains our number one priority.”

In September, New Hampshire Liquor Commission officials proposed an alternative model in the form of franchising, where the state would sell licenses to store owners who would be allowed to hire their employees and manage operations under state rules. The approach would be similar to national chains like McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts.

"The governor is open to discussing a franchisee-based system, but the success of such a model is in the details," the governor's office said in a written statement to News 9. "The governor has been clear that any system meets his outlined framework – or be met with a veto."

Whitley, further commented that the governor’s last-minute introduction is “procedurally problematic” because the commission didn’t have time to gather the public input on the topic. 

“It feels very rushed and a little inefficient to have spent months and months on this language, the various issues, and then the very last meeting, the very last half hour, to raise these pretty substantial issues,” Whitley said. 

Photo: Benzinga edit with images from Wikimedia Commons and Kindel Media via Pexels.