New Hampshire senators took up a bill Thursday to legalize marijuana in the state.

The Senate Judiciary Committee did not vote on the legislation, but members heard testimony for and against the measure.

If enacted into law, SB485 would allow adults 21 and older to possess four ounces of cannabis in plant form and 20 grams of concentrated cannabis products, as well as other products containing no more than 2,000 milligrams of THC.

“New Hampshire is now the only state in New England that has not legalized and regulated cannabis. Every one of our neighbors has figured that out,” Sen. Donovan Fenton (D), the bill’s lead sponsor, told the panel. “Meanwhile, we’re pretending the ban is working, while people legally drive to Massachusetts, Maine or Vermont and drive back home.”

President Donald Trump called the recent executive order to re-regulate marijuana “a clear signal that the federal government now recognizes what most of the Granite State knows: cannabis is not the same category as the most dangerous drugs, and should be managed with a smart, regulated adult approach.”

“So the question for New Hampshire is simple, do we lead or do we fall behind?” he said

Under the legislation, a Liquor and Cannabis Commission would be appointed to license and regulate marijuana businesses.

Cannabis sales would be taxed at 12.5 percent. The revenue would support a variety of programs and efforts, including offsetting the unfunded liability of the retirement system, public safety agencies, substance abuse programs and children’s behavioral health services.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) predicts the bill will generate $27-$56 million in annual revenue once the market matures.

“Adults should be treated like adults in a live-or-die state. The Supreme Court has not banned eating junk food, being sedentary, rock climbing, riding motorcycles or drinking alcohol, despite the dangers these activities pose,” MPP state policy director Karen O’Keefe said in written testimony. “The Granite States fully agree that even adults should not be punished by their government for using cannabis, a plant that is far less toxic, addictive and addictive than alcohol.”

The Senate panel also took up legislation Thursday that would allow medical cannabis companies to keep their nonprofit operations under wraps, allow greenhouse cultivation locations, and regulate and restrict hemp-derived products.

Earlier this month, The New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize marijuana.

That bill and the one the Senate took up Thursday are just two of the cannabis proposals introduced for the 2026 session, including legislation by Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D) that seeks to put a constitutional amendment on the state ballot. let voters decide whether they want to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older“having a modest amount of cannabis for their personal use.”

Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has already threatened to veto the legalization bill that reaches his desk, even though the proposal to amend the Constitution would not require gubernatorial action.

The governor said in August his position on the reform it would not change, even if the federal government moved forward with reorganizing the plant. Since then, President Donald Trump has ordered the attorney general to complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Meanwhile, the House also passed a bill this month by Rep. Wendy Thomas (D). allow medical marijuana dispensaries (known in the state as “alternative treatment centers” or ATCs) to convert their dispensary licenses into nonprofit entities.. HB 54, which adopted a concurrence schedule with other laws, had previously advanced unanimously out of the House Finance Committee.

Part of the motivation behind the legislation is the fact that medical marijuana dispensaries are not for-profit federal states. But in the state, they are considered non-profit organizations, which has disproportionately increased their operating costs.

Last week, the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee took up a pair of bipartisan bills legalize the regulated use of psilocybin for medical purposes.

Other bills introduced in 2026 include two proposals to protect the gun rights of medical cannabis patients.

There’s also some legislation aimed at regulating the sale of hemp, an issue that’s getting a lot of attention since Congress passed and Trump signed an appropriations bill that would effectively re-criminalize most consumable hemp products.

Meanwhile, after the House added provisions to a bill passed by the Senate last year that would have allowed medical marijuana patients to grow cannabis at home, those measures were removed in the conference.

user photo Brian Shamblen.