NH is a holdout on legalizing marijuana

As of July 2019, a total of ten states, as well as Washington D.C., have legalized marijuana for recreational use: 

• Massachusetts
• Maine
• Vermont
• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington
• Michigan

Most of those states allow both growing marijuana at home and selling it commercially. They usually limit the amount of weed you can grow and require licenses for commercial sales, which are taxed and regulated. 

Some states, such as Vermont and Michigan, just allow home-growing. Michigan is expected to start licensing retail stores for marijuana this year. 

Fifteen states – including New Hampshire – have removed the jail-time penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana. This is called “decriminalization.”

Get details on each state's marijuana laws.

What this means for NH

New Hampshire is currently surrounded by states with legal recreational marijuana. Even Canada, the Granite State's neighbor to the north, has legalized the drug. 

There have been several efforts to legalize marijuana in New Hampshire, but so far all of them have failed. Learn more about marijuana legalization in New Hampshire

New Hampshire did decriminalize the drug, which means that possessing small amounts of it is now a violation, rather than a criminal offense. Learn more about marijuana decriminalization in New Hampshire. The drug is also legal in New Hampshire for medical use. 

Do you have an opinion on marijuana legalization in New Hampshire? Learn more and take action.