New Hampshire Lawmakers Seek to Put Legalization Questions to Voters

Three New Hampshire legislators have filed separate proposals to put adult-use cannabis constitutional amendment questions on the 2022 ballot, Marijuana Moment reports. State Reps. Joshua Adjutant (D), Renny Cushing (D), and Andrew Prout (R) each filed a request with the Office of Legislative Services to write legislation that then would need a supermajority approval—60%—in both houses of the Legislature to refer the amendments to the ballot in 2022.

The move appears to be a way to avoid a legislative battle with anti-legalization Gov. Chris Sununu (R) but legislation for the three amendments still face challenges in the Republican-controlled Senate, where a legalization bill died in the 2021 session.

However, if the new approach is successful, then a “Yes” vote from 67% of New Hampshire voters on any of the amendments would make them the law. According to the report, this is a real possibility as three out of four New Hampshire voters approve of adult-use cannabis reforms.

Adjutant’s amendment provides that the state shall make no law prohibiting the use, sale, or cultivation of cannabis for persons over 18 years of age; Cushing’s proposal would provide that adults shall have the right to possess cannabis for personal consumption; while Prout’s amendment would give all adults the right to possess, use, and cultivate cannabis, subject to regulation by the legislature.

“Granite Staters are tired of watching cannabis bills pass the House and then die in the Senate,” Matt Simon, Director of Public and Government Relations at Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of New Hampshire, told Marijuana Moment. “Public opinion is overwhelmingly favorable on the issue, so it’s no surprise that legislators have finally decided to try this approach.”