Thursday, 14 June 2012

Concord, NH: New Hampshire state House and Senate lawmakers last week gave final approval to Senate Bill 409, which allows for the personal possession, cultivation, and use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.

More than two-thirds of House lawmakers endorsed the measure while Senators voted 13 to 9 in favor of the legislation. The Senate vote is two votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority necessary to override Gov. John Lynch's expected veto. Governor Lynch, a Democrat, has voiced his opposition to SB 409 and previously vetoed similar legislation in 2009.

In a press release issued by the Marijuana Policy Project immediately following last week's vote, Senator Jim Forsythe (R-Strafford), the bill's prime sponsor, said that he would continue lobbying to gain the two additional Senate votes necessary to override the Governor's anticipated veto. "Most senators now agree we have a moral obligation to protect seriously ill patients from being arrested in our state," he said.

On Friday, June 1, Connecticut became the 17th state since 1996 to legalize the limited use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. It is the fourth state in New England to do so, joining Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

For more information regarding Senate Bill 409, please visit NORML's 'Take Action Center' here: capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=61438671.