New Hampshire may be considering legalizing recreational marijuana use in 2017.
Marijuana plants for sale are displayed at the medical marijuana farmers market at the California Heritage Market in Los Angeles, July 11, 2014. REUTERS/David McNew/File Photo

Recreational cannabis may become legal for adults in New Hampshire if Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn has it his way. The Democratic legislator has planned to introduce a new marijuana measure that would legalize recreational use of the plant for adults, similar to the state’s approach to alcohol, when the congressional session resumes in 2017, he told the Concord Monitor Friday.

Woodburn said the passing of recreational marijuana laws in Massachusetts and Maine is a big motivator for ending pot prohibition in the Granite State. Not to mention, a WMUR/Granite State Poll released in May found more than 60 percent of adults living in New Hampshire would approve full legalization of the plant.

“I think they have forced us to look at our laws and regulations,” Woodburn said. “What we can’t control is what’s happening all around us. We can’t put our heads in the snow.”

Although New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was opposed to legislation, incoming Gov.-elect Chris Sununu is more likely to approve Woodburn’s proposal. Sununu recently told the Portsmouth Herald that he would watch how neighboring states handled their marijuana programs before he’d back recreational cannabis. However, he also said he would support actions to decriminalize marijuana in New Hampshire and relax harsh sentences for individuals caught with marijuana.

The state passed a medical marijuana bill back in 2013 that allowed patients to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes under a doctor’s recommendation. However, people caught with less than an ounce of marijuana without proper documentation can face up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Although there is interest from high-profile politicians in New Hampshire to make cannabis completely legal for adults, residents shouldn’t expect to be able to light up as they please anytime soon. Even though Woodburn intended to introduce the recreational proposal in 2017, the measure wouldn’t be effective until 2019 or 2020, for reasons the senator did not explain.

RELATED STORIES