A procession of eleven bills were introduced in the Legislature in Concord relating to softening the hardest edges of New Hampshire’s highly restrictive cannabis regulations ranging from simple legalization of personal use & possession, to relieving burdens on current medical (therapeutic) cannabis operations to full scale commercial legalization as has been proposed and failed in previous years.

Another related bill (HB528) proposed to legalize personal possession and consumption of any quantity of psilocybin.

Although the November elections produced an overall more cannabis-hostile state legislature and governor, some of the bills seemed to have a reasonable chance of becoming law this year. Legislative activity originated in the House. Those bills that pass the House are referred to the Senate for consideration, where they traditionally face stiffer opposition, and if approved by the Senate would likely face a veto by our new ‘law & order’ Governor Kelly Ayotte. Some provisions may have enough legislative support to override a veto, but such would also require Republicans willing to oppose their party’s popular governor’s position which would carry its own political implications and complications.

Nonetheless, all twelve were rejected outright by the NH Senate or ‘tabled’ for possible but unlikely re-consideration in 2026. This despite indications from the governor’s office that if it reached her desk, she would approve at least one of the bills providing regulatory relief to the existing medical cannabis operators, combined with the verbal assurances of seven persuadable Republican senators I met with (David Rochefort, Tim Lang, James Gray, Daniel Innis, Denise Ricciardi, Keith Murphy and Howard Pearl) that they would support most or all the bills that relieved some of the suffocating and arbitrary restrictions on the medical licensees, e.g., allowing ‘for-profit’ operations, outdoor (greenhouse) cultivation, sale of non-intoxicating CBD/hemp products not produced in-house, and modestly increasing patient purchase limits.

What basically happened was a combination of parallel malign influences. First, Senator Daryl Abbas was ‘punk sore’ about the cannabis legalization bill he strongly supported in 2024 (referred to in my previous chapters as the “Cronies & Fatcats” cartel bill) being deservedly rejected by the House as an unworkable blivet aka: “ten pounds of manure in a five-pound bag”. So, in a fit of pique he made it his business to strongly oppose any pending cannabis-related bills regardless of whether they proposed good public policy or were in the best interests of the people of New Hampshire.

Additionally, the Governor instructed Senate President Sharon Carson to do her utmost to prevent any cannabis-related bills reaching her desk for signature so she wouldn’t suffer the political fallout of vetoing wildly popular legislation all the more so in light of a University of NH poll conducted in the Spring of 2025 confirming that 70%+ of the state’s residents favored cannabis legalization. Since Senator Carson is a vehement opponent of cannabis policy reform, she was happy to oblige and apply sufficient political pressure on the aforementioned persuadable senators.

Finally, Senator Tim Lang, despite his assurances, required no additional pressure since he’s well known as one of the Governor’s chief toadies and lickspittles, did his meanspirited duty by personally having the ‘for-profit’ provision stripped in committee from the pending omnibus state budget bill (HB-2).

Here’s the breakdown:

HB301 – Allows current medical cannabis licensees (Alternative Treatment Centers – ATCs) to operate an outdoor greenhouse in addition to their current indoor-only facilities reducing their operating costs and making them more competitive with adjacent states. Status: Passed House committee 18-0 and full House on a voice vote. Tabled by the Senate Judiciary committee. Remained in House version of the budget bill but killed by Senate committee of conference (CoC) negotiators. Likely to pass next year.

HB54 – Allows ATCs to convert from ‘non-profit’ to ‘for-profit’ entities, increasing their access to lower cost capital and financing, allowing them to be more competitive with adjacent states. Status: Passed House Judiciary Committee 18-0; House Finance Committee has added it as part of the main HB-2 general budget bill. Tabled by the Senate Judiciary committee. Likely to pass next year.

HB51 – Enables ATCs to expand their product offerings to include non-intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids that are legal for anyone else including convenience stores, gas stations and smoke shops to sell (e.g., CBD, CBG and CBN) Status: Passed House committee 17-0; and full House by voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected it 3-1 and the Senate tabled it via a voice vote, requiring at least 13 votes to bring it back for consideration. Likely to pass next year.

HB196 – Creates a process for automatically annulling previous offenses for cannabis possession. Status: Passed House committee 13-0; passed full House by voice vote. Rejected by Senate Judiciary committee.

HB53 – Permitting qualifying patients and designated caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use. The House has now passed versions of this bill 12 times since 2009. The Senate passed it in 2019, but it was vetoed by the governor. Status: Passed House committee 13-4: passed House 328-42. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected it 3-1, the Senate deadlocked 12-12, then tabled it 16-8 along party lines, requiring at least 13 votes in favor to bring it back for consideration.

HB198 – Legalizes limited adult possession with no retail sales and establishes penalties for smoking or vaping in public. Status: Passed House committee 9-7 and full House 208-125. Tabled by the Senate. An effort to remove it from the table and add a second amendment patient rights provision to force passage failed. (Refer to my LinkedIn chapter on “Cannabis and Guns” for more detail on this provision.)

HB190 – Increases purchasing and possession limits for registered patients from 2 ounces to 4 ounces. This would allow patients who have difficulty traveling to make fewer trips to dispensaries. Status: Passed House committee 14-0 and full House on a voice vote. Tabled by the Senate Judiciary committee.

HB380 – Eliminates the double felony penalty for diverting medical cannabis to non-registered patient individuals. Status: House committee voted against 9-7 and passed by the full House on a voice vote. Tabled by the Senate Judiciary committee.

HB75 – Legalizes unlimited adult possession, production and sale of cannabis with no regulation of sales. Status: House committee voted 9-7 against; House passed by voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected it 3-1 and it was rejected by the Senate 15-9.

HB186 – Legalizes cannabis for adults and establishes an independent cannabis commission to regulate sales. Status: House committee voted 7-0 to postpone consideration until next year

HB205 – Exempts veterans from the current $50 state medical cannabis patient certification fee. Status: House committee voted 17-1 against; killed by full House voice vote.

HB528 – Legalizes personal possession and consumption of psilocybin. Status: Amended by the House to add non-felony violation penalties instead of outright legalization. Tabled by the Senate Judiciary committee. Independently another bill SB14 was approved by both House and Senate committees amended as a bi-partisan compromise to reduce first offense possession of ¾ ounce or less of psilocybin to a misdemeanor while stiffening penalties for distribution of fentanyl. Although this bill was broadly supported, the Senate voted at the end of June to table it for future possible consideration next year.

2026 is an election year and all state offices and US Congressional seats are on the ballot. Big purposeful political fun courtesy of yours truly is already in the pipeline targeting cannabis reform opponents. Buckle up and stay tuned!