InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/author/paula-tracy-indepthnh-org/page/30/)
Senate and House conferees came to an agreement Thursday on a bill they can support and which the governor is likely to sign, that creates a system to sell cannabis to adults in the same way the state sells liquor.
Secretary of State David Scanlan said it will be more work for election workers but his office can administer a measure that has reached consensus among House and Senate negotiators eliminating the voter identification exceptions.
There is no consensus yet on legalizing weed in the 603 but it is coming down to the wire Thursday and the focus is narrowed.
House conferees on legalizing adult cannabis sales said Tuesday they would agree to the Senate’s version of the bill with four changes, including the decriminalization level and implementation date for those who possess to be upon passage.
With more than 60 bills this session still alive – including legal adult cannabis sales – select lawmakers came to Concord Monday to see if they could make deals across chambers with the clock ticking towards Thursday at 4 p.m., the deadline for a deal.
Adult cannabis legalization supporters are voicing optimism that a negotiated bill between House and Senate conferees could lead to passage this session despite a lack of concurrence between the two chambers on the bill.
The forest culture of the state, honored for generations, “will be dead and we will become outsiders to our own forest” if a “carbon first” culture replaces it, the Coös County Commissioners said in a letter to state officials.
Advocates for improved lake water quality were on Lake Winnipesaukee with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, Thursday who came to learn about threats, challenges and what federal dollars she secured are doing to keep the water clear.
New Hampshire will now have a committee of conference between the House and Senate to determine if the Granite State will become the 25th state to legalize recreational adult cannabis sales.