Negotiators from both chambers of the New Hampshire Legislature agreed on concessions to an adult-use cannabis bill, but its chances of passing are unclear.
Although the compromise reached Thursday on House Bill 1633 contains “measures Gov. Chris Sununu said he would support,” according to the Concord-based New Hampshire Bulletin, the state Senate and House of Representatives must come to an agreement on some new proposals in the measure.
The two chambers will discuss the rejiggered bill when they meet for a final time June 13, the news outlet reported.
A Sununu spokesperson told the Bulletin the governor would not comment on whether he would support HB 1633 because he had not seen the changes.
The reworked measure would:
- Give current medical marijuana licensees an edge if they apply for one of the 15 adult-use permits currently called for in the measure.
- Keep intact the state-run franchise model the Senate and governor supported but the House opposed over the potential for creating “a near monopoly on the market.”
- Keep a proposed 15% tax, which Senate negotiators said was not negotiable; the House had passed a 10% tax.
- Increase industry representation on a new marijuana control commission, based on the House’s insistence.
If HB 1633 were to pass both the House and Senate – and be signed into law by Sununu – it would take effect in 2026.
The governor envisioned a similar timeline for the launch of a state-regulated recreational marijuana market.
