If voters had our way, New Hampshire would also have legalized cannabis years ago. But we are reliant on legislators like you to be our voice or to refer the issue to voters. The "Live Free or Die State" is entirely surrounded by jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, and there are now 17 retail stores open within 15 miles of our border. It’s been nearly a decade since the first states legalized cannabis for adults and regulated sales. The sky hasn't fallen. Teen cannabis use is down in Colorado, graduation rates are up, worker's comp costs are down, and the state has generated more than $1.7 billion in cannabis tax revenue to support education and other needs. Voters have seen opponents’ fears didn’t materialize, and support for legalization has skyrocketed to well over 70%. Since 2012, 17 states have followed Colorado’s lead, with their own different approaches to regulation. Why does New Hampshire continue to treat responsible adults as lawbreakers for choosing to unwind with cannabis, which is far safer than alcohol? Please let me know if I count on you to support passage of the bills to legalize cannabis and to also support the CACRs to refer the issue to voters. Thank you for your public service.

Now that the “Live Free or Die State” is surrounded by three states that have legalized cannabis, plus a country to our north, it no longer makes any sense at all to continue punishing adults for their decision to use cannabis. There are now 17 stores located within 15 miles of the New Hampshire border, in Massachusetts. Clearly, any adult in New Hampshire who didn’t already have access to cannabis can easily access it now. Cannabis retail stores have already opened in Maine as well. Does it make any sense at all for New Hampshire to continue fining people for possessing a product that is legally available in retail stores right across our borders? The House passed this bill in 2020 with a veto-proof majority of 236-112. Sadly, in 2021, the legislature prevented this popular issue from receiving a vote. Will you please work to ensure that bills to legalize cannabis, and/or bills to refer legalization measures to voters, pass this session?

Two consecutive polls have found that the overwhelming majority of Granite Staters support legalization, and we are now surrounded by legalization states. Although the House passed legalization by a supermajority in 2020, the bill has never made it to the governor’s desk, and he has indicated he would veto any such bill. We the people — the voters — deserve a direct say. Please support the CACRs that would refer legalization to voters: CACR 20, CACR 34, and CACR 35. There’s no reason for New Hampshire to continue punishing adults for behavior that is now legal in all neighboring jurisdictions. Please support these CACRs, along with the proposals to legalize cannabis legislatively. Adults should be treated like grown-ups and should be allowed to make their own decisions about a substance that is far safer than alcohol and many medications.