New Hampshire Legislature Passes Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana and Hash, Sending it to Supportive Governor
New Hampshire’s full legislature has voted to decriminalize marijuana.
The House of Representatives today gave final approval to House Bill 640 to decriminalize marijuana and hash possession. The measure was initially approved by the House in March with a 316 to 38 vote, before being passed by the Senate in May 17 to 6. Given it was amended in the Senate the House needed to pass the measure through one final vote, which it did today.
The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Chris Sununu, who said recently he will sign it into law once given the chance. Once it does become law, it will no longer be an arrestable offense for adults to possess up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana, or up to five grams of hash.
Instead, the charge will be dropped to a simple civil infraction punishable by a fine of $100 for a first or second offense. A third offense within three years of the initial offense will result in a fine of $300, and a fourth offense within three years of the original offense can result in a misdemeanor charge, but no arrest or jail time.
Governor Sununu says he looks forward “to signing House Bill 640 into law.”
According to polling released last year by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 72% of New Hampshire adults support the move to decriminalize or legalize marijuana.