Even though 65% of New Hampshire voters support legalization, the Granite State remains an island of prohibition. Over the past decade, the N.H. House of Representatives has passed legalization bills several times. This year, for the first time, the Senate followed suit. However, the House tabled the final bill (HB 1633) after some members opposed changes that were necessary to clear the Senate and avoid Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto. As a result, New Hampshire is still the only state in New England that hasn’t legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older.

This year’s elections will be key to whether New Hampshire finally lives up to its “Live Free or Die” motto. To help inform voters, MPP has created this primary voting guide, based on incumbent lawmakers’ records, public comments, and responses to questions we emailed.

New Hampshire’s state primary day is September 10. While only three Senate seats have primaries, there is a wide variation between the candidates. There is also a gubernatorial primary and House races. You can find your New Hampshire state Senate and House district — along with everything else that will be on your ballot — here. You can also find information on how and where to vote from the N.H. Secretary of State website.

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Key: Candidates whose names are in green have been consistently supportive of cannabis policy reforms. Candidates in orange have a mixed record. Candidates in red have been opposed to legalization and/or medical cannabis. We do not have information on the stances of candidates in black text — consider reaching out if you are in their district.

Gubernatorial Candidates

Governor: Democratic Primary

Joyce Craig — Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig supports legalization in a way that protects medical cannabis and encourages small businesses. She also supports creating a commission to review possible annulment and expungement of past charges, and is open to limited home cultivation as part of adult-use legalization.

• Her website lists under Issues “Legalizing Cannabis,” saying:
• “Joyce believes it is past time to pass cannabis legalization in New Hampshire. Joyce favors a model that encourages small businesses and entrepreneurship, allows limited homegrow for patients, and protects medicinal marijuana. As Governor, Joyce will work with legislators to implement a system that works for New Hampshire and will help bring in revenue that we are losing to surrounding states that have all legalized recreational marijuana.”
• In response to MPP's question "Does Joyce Craig support a state-initiated process to annul prior cannabis possession convictions?" her campaign said:
• “Yes, Joyce believes we should establish a commission to review and annul convictions for possession of cannabis as part of legalization of adult use.”
• In response to “Does Joyce Craig support a state-initiated process to consider whether annulment or resentencing would be in the interests of justice for other cannabis offenses?” her campaign replied:
• “Yes, Joyce believes the commission should review these cases and bring forward recommendations as part of legalization.”
• In response to “Does Joyce Craig support allowing adults 21 and older to discreetly and securely cultivate a handful of cannabis plants for their own use?” her campaign replied:
• “Joyce is open to limited homegrow for adult-use as part of legalization.”

Cinde Warmington — Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington supports cannabis legalization, allowing home cultivation, and annulments for past convictions.

• Cinde Warmington’s campaign told MPP she is supportive of allowing home cultivation and annulment and resentencing in response to emailed questions. Her answer was “yes” to these questions:
• “Does she support a state-initiated process to annul prior cannabis possession convictions?”
• “Does she support a state-initiated process to consider whether annulment or resentencing would be in the interests of justice for other cannabis offenses —  and to annul those convictions or resentence those people to time served or another lesser sentence, if it is?”
• “Does she support  allowing therapeutic cannabis patients to discreetly and securely cultivate a handful of cannabis plants for their own use?”
• “Does she support allowing adults 21 and older to discreetly and securely cultivate a handful of cannabis plants for their own use?” 
• Her website includes, “Cinde Warmington has long advocated for the legalization, with proper regulation and taxation, of cannabis and will continue to do so as governor.”
• After the NH House tabled legalization bill HB 1633, posted on Twitter/X, "When I’m governor, we’ll stop this nonsense and finally legalize recreational cannabis — properly regulated and taxed."

Jonathan Kiper (a lesser known candidate)— Small business owner and former town councilor Jonathan Kiper supports legalization, including home cultivation. However, he supported killing HB 1633.

• Supported the New Hampshire House killing legalization bill HB 1633.
• In response to the 2024 Citizens Count Issue Survey question “Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?,” replied, “I would allow the current medical shops to transition to a recreational for-profit model while also creating state-run dispensaries modeled after the Liqour commission. These would be managed by a public/private authority. I would put the proceeds from cannabis exclusively into housing for NH residents."
• As of the publication, he has not responded to MPP questions about his stance on annulments and resentencing.

Governor: Republican Primary

Kelly Ayotte — The former U.S. senator and state AG opposes legalization. She worked to defeat medical cannabis and decriminalization.

• When WMUR asked Ayotte in 2024 if she would entertain legalization if she is elected governor, or if she is a firm “no,” she said, “I don’t think legalizing marijuana is the right direction for our state. I don’t support legalizing marijuana in this state.”
• Lobbied NH state senators against modest decriminalization in 2015, according to prohibitionist Sen. Bill Gannon.
• Ayottee opposed even a tightly crafted medical cannabis bill in 2009, garnering an “F” in MPP’s 2010 voter guide.

Chuck Morse — Former NH Senate President Chuck Morse has vehemently opposed cannabis policy reforms.

• In May 2024, Morse said one of his top priorities will be fighting legalization if he is elected governor.
• As a state senator, Morse voted against legalization (HB 629, 2023).
• As a state senator, he also voted against decriminalization (HB 640, 2017) and medical cannabis (SB 409, 2012).

Frank Staples (a lesser known candidate) supports cannabis legalization, allowing home cultivation, and annulments for past convictions.

• Frank Staples told MPP he is supportive of allowing home cultivation and annulment and resentencing in response to emailed questions.  He added:

○       “Yes, I support the full legalization of all plants such as marijuana, mushrooms, psychedelics, and other drugs. Minimal regulations. I support home growing.

○       “Not only do I support automatic annulment of these convictions, but I would pardon all marijuana offenders that may be in prison.”

• The “Drug Policy” section of his website begins, “New Hampshire can benefit significantly from adopting approaches to drug policy that have shown success in other regions, such as Amsterdam and Portugal. These models focus on decriminalization, harm reduction, and alternative treatments, and could be instrumental in reducing the economic burden of the current punitive system.”

Shaun Fife (a lesser known candidate) told MPP he is supportive of legalization without regulation. He said he supports allowing home cultivation and annulment and resentencing. Here are his replies to our questions:

• In response to “Does the candidate support legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults 21 and older?”:
• “Yes,I don’t care how old you are. Marijuana just shouldn’t be regulated.”
• In response to “Does the candidate support a state-initiated process to annul prior cannabis possession convictions?”
• “Absolutely.”
• In response to, “Does the candidate support a state-initiated process to consider whether annulment or resentencing would be in the interests of justice for other cannabis offenses — and to annul those convictions or resentence those people to time served or another lesser sentence, if it is?”
• “Absolutely. If there was no crime other than to do with cannabis, I would expunge the record as they are released.”
• In response to, “Does the candidate support allowing therapeutic cannabis patients to discreetly and securely cultivate a handful of cannabis plants for their own use?”
• “Gardening helps some people heal. Grow as many as you want. There should be no limit. There’s thousands of strands each one works differently for different people, and there should be no reason why somebody couldn’t have them all.”
• In response to, “Does the candidate support allowing adults 21 and older to discreetly and securely cultivate a handful of cannabis plants for their own use?”
• “There should be no limit to the number of plants. It’s just an excuse to invade private space.”

MPP has either not been able to reach or has not gotten responses from two additional lesser known candidates Robert McClory and Richard McMenamon II. We are unaware of their stances on cannabis legalization.

State Senate Candidates

Senate District 15 — Bow, Concord, and Hopkinton — Democratic Primary

Rep. Angela Brennan

• Voted in favor of cannabis legalization bill HB 1633 on April 11, 2024. (This was the House’s version of the bill.)
• Voted in favor of removing cannabis legalization bill HB 1633 from the table to give it a debate on June 13, 2024. (This was the committee of conference’s version.)
• Voted in favor of allowing medical cannabis home cultivation (HB 1231) on March 14, 2024.

Rep. Rebecca McWilliams

• Voted in favor of cannabis legalization bill HB 1633 on April 11, 2024. (This was the House’s version of the bill.)
• Voted against removing cannabis legalization bill HB 1633 from the table and giving it a debate on June 13, 2024. (This was the committee of conference’s version, which included changes to avoid Gov. Sununu’s veto pen.)
• Voted in favor of allowing medical cannabis home cultivation (HB 1231) on March 14, 2024.

Former Rep. Tara Reardon

• Did not vote (not excused) on medical cannabis bill HB 648 in 2009.
• Voted in favor of cannabis decriminalization in 2008 (HB 1623).
• Voted to kill (ITL) the medical cannabis bill in 2007 (HB 774).

Senate District 20 — Manchester Wards 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, and 12 — Democratic Primary

Rep. Pat Long

• Did not vote on legalization bill HB 1633 on April 11, 2024. (This was the House’s version of the bill.)
• Voted in favor of removing legalization bill HB 1633 from the table to give it a debate on June 13, 2024. (This was the committee of conference’s version.)
• Voted in favor of medical cannabis home cultivation (HB 1231) on March 14, 2024.
• Voted against legalization in prior years, such as HB 1598 in 2022 and HB 481 in 2019.
• When asked by Citizens Count’s 2020 survey if NH should legalize recreational use of marijuana, he said, "Consider supporting if revenues are used for Youth Educational Campaign."

Sean Parr

• Mr. Parr has not responded to MPP’s email asking about his position on cannabis legalization and medical cannabis home cultivation.
• We could not find any public stance on cannabis legalization or other cannabis policies. As of this publication, he has not responded to the Citizens Count.

Senate District 23 — Parts of Rockingham County — Republican Primary

Rep. Emily Phillips

• Voted in favor of legalization bill HB 1633 on April 11, 2024. (This was the House’s version of the bill.)
• Voted against removing legalization bill HB 1633 from the table to give it a debate on June 13, 2024. (This was the committee of conference’s version.)
• Voted in favor of medical cannabis home cultivation (HB 1231) on March 14, 2024.

Sen. William Gannon

• Voted against legalization bill HB 1633 in 2024.
• Proposed three anti-cannabis bills in 2024: a draconian open container bill (SB 426, which was revised to be less harsh and passed), SB 418 (the original version would have capped therapeutic cannabis at 16%) and SB 419 (the original version would have set an unscientific DUI threshold that ensnares sober drivers).
• In 2017, he voted against allowing medical cannabis for chronic pain (HB 157) and against decriminalization (HB 640).
• When the 2024 Citizens Count Issue Survey asked if he supports legalizing the recreational use of marijuana he replied, “NH currently has decriminalized possession of small amounts and has legalized medical use. I have served on the two marijuana commissions in the last decade. Recreational pot will send the signal pot is no big deal. Wide spread use will be bad for NH, bad for families, bad for students and bad for society. It has terrible effects on brain development.”

N.H. House Candidates

We do not have the capacity to conduct a candidate survey on the 400-member N.H.

House of Representatives. However, here are some resources that can help inform your votes:

• You can find candidates for your New Hampshire House of Representatives district (along with the rest of your sample ballot) here.
• You can look up candidates on Citizens Count, which has its own survey that includes cannabis policy questions. They also track recent cannabis votes.
• You can also look at how incumbents voted on key votes here:
  • HB 1633, legalization. Roll calls on April 11 and June 13 — The April 11 vote was on the House version of the legalization bill. The June 13 roll call vote was on whether to remove the bill from the table to allow a vote and debate on the final language of the legalization bill, which included compromises to clear the Senate and avoid a veto.
  • HB 1231, roll call on legalizing home cultivation for patients.

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