New Hampshire Senate approves amended recreational cannabis bill

A hotly debated bill that would legalize adult-use cannabis in New Hampshire was passed by the state Senate.

Thursday’s adult-use approval was a first for the New Hampshire Senate.

But the Senate and House still need to agree on the finer points of the state’s legalization plan, so it’s headed first to the Senate Finance Committee for review, according to news website InDepthNH.

The major difference between the revised Senate bill and what the House passed is that the Senate’s version creates a franchise model rather than a license model for cannabis retailers, according to InDepthNH.

The franchise model would cap store numbers at 15 and give more control to the state government and regulators.

The Senate bill was also revised to allow municipalities to opt out of the program.

After the adult-use measure leaves the Finance Committee, the House will have to agree to the revisions.