The New Hampshire Senate approved recreational cannabis legalization legislation in a 14-9 vote on Thursday. The news comes about a week after a Senate Judiciary Committee passed an amended version of the bill, HB 1633, putting it more in line with Governor Chris Sununu’s (R) requirements. This is the first time the state Senate approved a bill legalizing adult cannabis sales, reported InDepthNH.
The Republicans who supported the measure included state Sen. Howard Pearl, Tim Lang, Daryl Abbas, Dan Innis, and Keith Murphy, while the only Democrat who voted against the bill was Lou D'Allesandro.
The approved version of the bill is not the same as the House-passed version, hence the changes will need to be reconsidered by the House of Representatives after the Senate Finance Committee and the chamber floor review it.
If the bill reaches Sununu's desk it remains to be seen if he will sign it, although the bill was largely modified to meet his requirements. The governor previously said he would only accept 15 retail storefronts under a franchisee model and that he is requiring a ban on lobbying and political contributions by cannabis licensees.
"No cannabis policy will be perfect," Sen. Daryl Abbas (R) said, adding that the measure"was drafted to balance the public safety needs of our communities with the legalization of cannabis."
"We are dealing with the negative impact without any benefits at all," Abbas said, adding that polls reveal 70% of voters support legalization.
See Also: New Hampshire Senate President Doesn’t Want To See Cannabis Legalization, Period
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Photo: Courtesy of Ramdlon, ganjaspliffstoreuk by Pixabay
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