New Hampshire remains New England’s lone holdout against legalizing recreational marijuana

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana in New Hampshire has died on the House floor, but the effort by New England’s only holdout state got further than it ever has. The House has passed multiple legalization bills over the years only to have them blocked in the Senate. This year, both chambers passed bills. But the House declined a compromise on the chambers’ separate bills, instead letting it die as the session ended. Opponents in the House said they felt the state-run franchise model the Senate wanted was intrusive and would stifle the free market. The bill’s supporters argued that New Hampshire becoming the 25th state to legalize marijuana could have been a tipping point for the federal government.