Ayotte vetoes bill to expand cultivation of medicinal marijuana

Gov. Kelly Ayotte quashed a bipartisan effort to make medicinal marijuana more affordable and available in New Hampshire.

Senate Bill 468, sponsored by Loudon Republican Sen. Howard Pearl, would allow medicinal marijuana dispensaries to have their own greenhouse on site. The idea is to increase supply and lower prices. Each dispensary would be limited to one greenhouse to grow their own cannabis. Ayotte vetoed the bill on Friday.

“I do not support expanding the cultivation of marijuana in our state,” she wrote in her veto statement. “For this reason, I have vetoed SB 468.”

New Hampshire legalized marijuana for medical use in 2013 while Maggie Hassan was governor. The law limits people to two ounces of marijuana and allows only a designated group of providers. The only dispensaries in the state are in Chichester, Conway, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, Merrimack, and Plymouth, and they’re all operated by one of four nonprofit “alternative treatment centers.” New Hampshire residents need a medical marijuana card issued by a physician to shop at any of them.

New Hampshire is the only New England state that hasn’t legalized recreational marijuana. Nationwide, 24 states have legalized the drug for recreational purposes and 39 for medical use. Ayotte has repeatedly opposed recreational legalization in New Hampshire, citing multiple factors. She’s worried about the fact that police are unable to measure a driver’s level of marijuana intoxication using current technology like they can with alcohol. She has also cited youth mental health and “quality of life.”

Also on Friday, Ayotte vetoed House Bill 1072, which would require the labor commissioner to give 30 days advance notice before inspecting a business for potential misconduct, and House Bill 1643, which would reduce the authority of guardian ad litems, family court officials who help co-parents when they cannot agree on a parenting plan.

It would take a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to override Ayotte’s veto. The Legislature will meet later this year to vote on whether to do so.