New Hampshire’s Senate shot down recreational marijuana legalization again, maintaining its status as the only New England state that hasn’t legalized adult use.
Republicans are largely responsible for the 14-10 defeat of House Bill 639, according to Manchester TV station WMUR.
Republican Sen. Bill Gannon told WMUR he voted against the measure because he’s concerned about the smell of cannabis smoke.
“Anyone could smoke marijuana in a place like just outside this building, and we’d be smelling it right now, because if you’re 20 feet away from a building, you’re allowed to smoke in public under this bill,” he said.
Only one Democrat, Lou D’Allesandro, voted against the bill, which would have legalized possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana for adults 21 and older.
The state House of Representatives has passed several adult-use marijuana legalization bills in recent years, but they’ve all died in the Senate.
A little more than a year ago, the state Senate rejected a similar adult-use legalization measure.
