New Hampshire adult-use marijuana legalization is inching forward again.
State lawmakers on Wednesday approved a proposal more in line with what Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said he’ll support, but passage is still far from assured, Manchester TV station WMUR reported.
The only New England state without legal adult use, New Hampshire has seen recreational cannabis proposals fail repeatedly in the Senate and with Sununu, who has laid out strict criteria to avoid a promised veto.
The state Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday amended a proposal from the House to align more closely with the governor’s requirements, WMUR reported.
The new proposal caps retail locations at no more than 15 state-controlled franchise locations statewide and also allows municipalities to vote to ban adult-use sales, according to the Concord Monitor.
That’s in line with the governor’s call for a first-of-its-kind, state-run sales model, similar to how liquor is sold in the state.
He has made clear he’ll reject any proposals that deviate from that framework.
“I laid out the eight or 10 things I’d like to see in that bill for it to get a signature on my desk,” he told WMUR last week.
“If they meet those stipulations, I’ll sign it. If they don’t, I won’t.”
However, as WMUR reported, several key members of the 24-person state Senate are opposing the new compromise bill, including Senate President Jeb Bradley and Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson.
