New Hampshire is now surrounded by neighbors that have legalized cannabis, while the “Live Free or Die” State remains an island of prohibition. It is past time to stop punishing adults for using and discreetly growing a personal-use amount of cannabis. Cannabis is far safer than alcohol. It doesn’t cause fatal overdoses or increased mortality. Meanwhile, alcohol poisoning kills 2,000 Americans per year, and its chronic health effects kill more than 51,000 per year. Please vote “yes” on HB 629, which would finally treat adults like grown-ups and allow them to make their own decisions about cannabis without government intervention.

It’s outrageous that our state continues to punish adults for using a plant that is far safer than alcohol. How is it that in 2022 New Hampshire is the only one of its neighbors that continues the folly of marijuana prohibition? Adults can brew their own beer. Why should they be stripped of their freedom, thrown in a jail cell, and branded a criminal for growing a few marijuana plants? A 2022 Granite State poll found more than two-thirds of New Hampshire voters support marijuana legalization. Will you please heed the will of voters and vote “yes” on HB 629?