New Hampshire lawmakers advanced a bipartisan bill to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives – the biggest state Legislature in the country – voted 272-109 on Thursday to pass HB 639.
The bill now heads to the state Senate, which killed a legalization proposal a year ago.
If passed, the measure would legalize up to 4 ounces of recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and tax regulated sales at 12.5%.
It’s not immediately clear what the Senate plans to do.
However, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said he does not expect state lawmakers to send a legalization bill to his desk.
New Hampshire is the only New England state that hasn’t legalized adult-use sales.
There are legal markets in bordering Maine and Massachusetts, both of which legalized recreational cannabis in 2016 via ballot initiatives.
There is no voter initiative process in New Hampshire, which legalized medical marijuana in 2013.
After steady growth, enrollment in the state’s MMJ program stalled after adult-use markets in Maine and Massachusetts opened.
