Debate has been heating up in largely rural New Hampshire over proposed legalization of recreational marijuana. Medicinal marijuana is legal in the state, possession of up to three-fourths of an ounce has been decriminalized (meaning it's only punishable by a fine and not jail time), and many residents and leaders want marijuana to be completely legalized, Naomi Martin reports for The Boston Globe.
Proponents argue that legalization will keep badly needed cannabis revenue in state, since locals drive to any bordering state or Quebec and purchase legal recreational marijuana. And since research has shown that legal marijuana correlates with reduced opioid use, they believe it could help decrease the state's soaring opioid-overdose death rate. "New Hampshire ranks second in the country for opioid-overdose deaths, with a rate nearly triple the U.S. average, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2016, 437 people died of opioid overdoses — three times 2013’s death toll, a rise that experts attribute to fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid," Martin reports.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu remains staunchly opposed to recreational legalization and has hired anti-marijuana lobbyist Kevin Sabet of Smart Approaches to Marijuana to help him convince constituents that it's a gateway drug, and would actually hurt efforts to fight the opioid crisis. "Sabet said he will work with Sununu to publicize his message that cannabis today is more potent and addictive than 'your grandpa’s marijuana' and that legalization is being pushed by companies that seek profits over health and safety," Martin reports.
Sununu has vowed to veto any legalization bill. A legislative override requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers, which Democrats control: the House 234-166 and the Senate 14-10. "House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, a Democrat, said the chamber would have the votes to override a Sununu veto, and he predicted the Senate would, too," Martin reports. "He said the governor should quit fighting and spend the next few months working with lawmakers on how best to regulate the drug."
Proponents argue that legalization will keep badly needed cannabis revenue in state, since locals drive to any bordering state or Quebec and purchase legal recreational marijuana. And since research has shown that legal marijuana correlates with reduced opioid use, they believe it could help decrease the state's soaring opioid-overdose death rate. "New Hampshire ranks second in the country for opioid-overdose deaths, with a rate nearly triple the U.S. average, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2016, 437 people died of opioid overdoses — three times 2013’s death toll, a rise that experts attribute to fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid," Martin reports.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu remains staunchly opposed to recreational legalization and has hired anti-marijuana lobbyist Kevin Sabet of Smart Approaches to Marijuana to help him convince constituents that it's a gateway drug, and would actually hurt efforts to fight the opioid crisis. "Sabet said he will work with Sununu to publicize his message that cannabis today is more potent and addictive than 'your grandpa’s marijuana' and that legalization is being pushed by companies that seek profits over health and safety," Martin reports.
Sununu has vowed to veto any legalization bill. A legislative override requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers, which Democrats control: the House 234-166 and the Senate 14-10. "House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, a Democrat, said the chamber would have the votes to override a Sununu veto, and he predicted the Senate would, too," Martin reports. "He said the governor should quit fighting and spend the next few months working with lawmakers on how best to regulate the drug."
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