“I do not support expanding the cultivation of marijuana in our state.”
By William Skipworth, New Hampshire Bulletin
Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) quashed a bipartisan effort to make medicinal marijuana more affordable and available in New Hampshire.
Senate Bill 468, sponsored by Loudon Republican Sen. Howard Pearl, would allow medicinal marijuana dispensaries to have their own greenhouse on site. The idea is to increase supply and lower prices. Each dispensary would be limited to one greenhouse to grow their own cannabis. Ayotte vetoed the bill on Friday.
“I do not support expanding the cultivation of marijuana in our state,” she wrote in her veto statement. “For this reason, I have vetoed SB 468.”
New Hampshire legalized marijuana for medical use in 2013 while Maggie Hassan was governor.
The law limits people to two ounces of marijuana and allows only a designated group of providers.
The only dispensaries in the state are in Chichester, Conway, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, Merrimack and Plymouth, and they’re all operated by one of four nonprofit “alternative treatment centers.” New Hampshire residents need a medical marijuana card issued by a physician to shop at any of them.
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New Hampshire is the only New England state that hasn’t legalized recreational marijuana. Nationwide, 24 states have legalized the drug for recreational purposes and 39 for medical use.
Ayotte has repeatedly opposed recreational legalization in New Hampshire, citing multiple factors. She’s worried about the fact that police are unable to measure a driver’s level of marijuana intoxication using current technology like they can with alcohol. She has also cited youth mental health and “quality of life.”
It would take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override Ayotte’s veto. The Legislature will meet later this year to vote on whether to do so.
This story was first published by New Hampshire Bulletin. Unrelated context excised by Marijuana Moment.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
