The New Hampshire Democratic Party has made cannabis legalization a part of the party’s political platform this week, according to an Associated Press report. The move will appease advocates, who fear the state is falling far behind neighboring Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont — the New England states that have already legalized cannabis for adult use.
Specifically, the new platform states that New Hampshire Democrats “believe that marijuana should be legalized, taxed, and regulated.” The party also chose to adopt a resolution that calls for the federal government to remove cannabis from the list of Schedule 1 substances.
“It’s clearly a matter of when and not if marijuana gets legalized in New Hampshire. I think that at the point in time when it is legalized we need to be ready to make sure that public safety is protected.” — Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District primary, in a statement to AP
Cannabis is decriminalized in New Hampshire, but recent legislative efforts to fully legalize and regulate the adult-use market have fallen flat.