Cannabis in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the one New England state with no legal adult-use market. Cannabis is not legal for recreation, but the state stopped treating tiny amounts as a crime in 2017: possessing three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish or less is a violation, punished by a $100 fine for a first or second offense and up to $300 for later offenses within three years. Anything above that is a misdemeanor. All three neighbors, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, sell cannabis to adults, so many residents drive across the border, which remains a federal offense.

The legal source is the Therapeutic Cannabis Program, created under RSA 126-X in 2013 and run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Patients get a registry card, $50 according to program summaries, and buy from state-licensed nonprofit Alternative Treatment Centers. A patient may hold two ounces and buy two ounces in any ten-day period, and home cultivation is not allowed. A 2024 law lets providers certify any debilitating or terminal condition rather than a fixed list, and a second 2024 law widened who may certify to include dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and naturopathic doctors. Since October 1, 2024 visitors with valid medical credentials from another state, territory or Canada may buy on the same terms as residents, according to a third-party summary of DHHS rules.

Legalization stalled again in 2026. The House passed HB 186 in January by 208 to 135. It would have let adults 21 and older hold two ounces, grow six plants and buy at licensed shops under an 8.5% tax, with local votes on retail. The Senate tabled it 15 to 9 in early March, and Governor Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, has said she would veto any relaxation, even if the federal government reschedules marijuana. A constitutional amendment proposed by Representative Jonah Wheeler would need three-fifths of both chambers to reach the ballot. Read this page as general information, not legal advice.