At issue for Governor Hassan was a provision in the House version of the bill that would allow qualifying patients to grow their own marijuan. Hassan also didn’t like that the House wanted to permit doctors to prescribe cannabis to treat PTSD.
The N.H. Senate had removed both provisions from the its version bill at Hassan’s behest, and House negotiators say under the circumstances going along made sense. Concord Democrat Jim McKay is Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
"Both sides, or, all sides -- because there was more than two in this instance -- wanted to pass the legislation,so we had to get around some less than useful prohibitions, but to get it passed we agreed."
The compromise is expected to pass both chambers; if it does N.H. would join 18 states and the District of Columbia in allowing medical marijuana.
Under the bill, patients diagnosed with several serious illnesses including cancer could possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana. The marijuana would be produced by 4 dispensaries, which would be licensed by the state next year.
