FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 6, 2020

Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org

The bill will now proceed to the House for consideration

Concord, N.H. — On Thursday, the New Hampshire Senate passed a bill in a voice vote that would allow patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. SB 420 will now proceed to the House of Representatives, which has passed similar legislation in the past with strong majority support. 

SB 420 would allow possession of three mature plants, three immature plants, and 12 seedlings for each patient. Under current law, home cultivation is classified as a felony. There are now more than 8,000 Granite Staters that are enrolled in the state’s therapeutic cannabis program. This bill is critically important because many patients are unable to afford dispensary products, which are not covered by health insurance. For some patients, home cultivation is simply the best, most affordable option. 

Last year, the New Hampshire House and Senate passed a similar bill that would have allowed patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. Sadly, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the bill. The House voted to override his veto, but the Senate fell three votes short of doing so.

Statement from Matt Simon, New England political director at the Marijuana Policy Project:

“This bill presents Gov. Sununu with a great opportunity to continue his evolution on cannabis policy. Patients all over New Hampshire are benefitting from cannabis as an alternative to opioids, but many are unable to afford the expensive products that are available at dispensaries. Home cultivation is a cost-effective option that is available to patients and adults in all neighboring jurisdictions, and there is no good reason it should remain a crime for patients in the ‘Live Free or Die’ state.”

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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.

Visit www.mpp.org for more information.