Marijuana and New Hampshire: It’s Time.

I support legalizing retail (recreational) cannabis (marijuana). It’s a tough call, because I work in substance misuse prevention, and I understand it is a dangerous substance for adolescents, in much the same way alcohol and nicotine are: because of their ongoing brain development, exposure to chemicals during that stage can have long term effects. And though it's effect on the body differs from nicotine and opioids are, it can become an addictive behavior just as alcohol, gaming or gambling can. Cannabis is also associated with an increased presentation of psychosis and schizophrenia in young adults. But it is naive to think by legalizing cannabis, we will be creating a market: data indicates that cannabis use has been increasing among all age groups over the past decade, most dramatically among middle aged and older adults, especially with the variety of cannabis infused products available. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11670332/)

With retail cannabis already legal in 24 states, Washington D.C. and 3 US territories, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Best practices can be gathered on how to regulate manufacturing, distribution and sales. Communities must have the option to 'opt out' of allowing cannabis businesses within their boundaries and as with alcohol, tobacco and lottery sales, a portion of the revenue must be committed to education, prevention and treatment for addiction.

I would rather see it as a properly regulated commercial product than a street drug. I would love to see further peer reviewed reputable research on its medicinal applications. This is not possible within the current Controlled Substance Act classification as a Schedule 1 drug.

The biggest challenge is drafting the laws around impaired driving because there are no widely accepted measures of impairment for cannabis. Blood levels peak quickly then fall while impairment can last for hours, so a blood test is not a valid measure. Impairment varies so much between individuals for a variety of factors, and the psychogenic chemical THC can be detected long after impairment wears off. We need to create laws that protect public safety and our police can enforce. Again, enabling research may lead to better detection technology.