New Hampshire State House First Legislative Body to Vote Yes on Marijuana Legalization Bill

Great news in the long march of marijuana legalization through the states.

From a Marijuana Policy Project emailed press release, which I was not able to find on web yet:

The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a bill 170-162 Wednesday that would regulate marijuana like alcohol. It is the first time in history that a legislative chamber in the U.S. has passed legislation to end marijuana prohibition and establish a legal market for businesses to sell marijuana to adults 21 and older.

The measure will be referred to the House Ways and Means Committee to review the revenue aspects of the bill. Regardless of how that committee votes, the bill will return to the full House of Representatives for a second vote in February or March. If approved, it will then be considered by the state Senate…..

HB 492, introduced by Rep. Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester) with a bipartisan group of four co-sponsors, would make the private possession and home growing of limited amounts of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older. It would direct the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration to license and regulate marijuana retail stores, cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, and testing facilities. As amended by the House, it would enact a wholesale tax of $30 per ounce and a sales tax of 15% per ounce. The House voted down a similar bill 228-89 in 2012….

Sixty percent of New Hampshire adults support HB 492, according to a WMUR Granite State Poll released in October by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Just 36% said they are opposed. The entire poll is available at http://cola.unh.edu/sites/cola.unh.edu/files/research_publications/gsp2013_fall_gastaxpot102513.pdf.

Governor, alas, vows to veto.