As many states are enjoying the benefits of cannabis legalization, some have yet to push legalization through. For example, the New Hampshire House of Criminal Justice Committee just voted on the issue. What makes this so interesting is the fact that New Hampshire is the last Northern New England state to legalize weed. Unfortunately, the Criminal Justice Committee decided against legalizing marijuana in the granite state, though.
Cannabis in New Hampshire
Image by @davideragusa via Unsplash
The Recent Vote Comes Down To Party Division
This vote was placed in the hands of many New Hampshire republicans and democrats. Furthermore, the vote breakdown seems to follow the typical line of division between the two parties. In this case, the democrats showed overwhelming support for legalization and taxation while the republican representatives voted against it.
The chairman of the committee is republican representative Darryl Abbas. In a statement he said, “There is a version of recreational cannabis I will support. But I don’t support a sales tax on anything and I’m not going to support a sales tax on this.”
Interestingly, it seems the general consensus on the republican side of this issue is that they don’t want to tax cannabis sales. While many republicans around the country don’t believe in recreational use of cannabis, it seems that these representatives in New Hampshire only have an issue with the taxation involved.
Furthermore, many democrats are continuing to push for both legalization and taxation. In an interview with democratic representative Casey Conley, she states, “I understand there might be some more proposals coming, yet this is the best bill to have come before the House.”
Image by @tingeyinjurylawfirm via Unsplash
The Future of New Hampshire Cannabis Legalization Seems Positive
While many disagree with the failed passage of this bill, democratic representatives are only beginning their campaigns to legalize weed in New Hampshire. Many democrats in New Hampshire are hoping that 2022 will be the year for cannabis legalization in their state.
With these representatives filing separate requests to draft legislation, it appears that legalization is inevitable. If the state achieves a supermajority of 60% in favor, vetoing this movement would almost be impossible. For the sake of New Hampshire cannabis enthusiasts, hopefully this next year creates substantial results for the pro-cannabis movement.
