New Hampshire Lawmakers Announce Plans For Marijuana, Psychedelics And Hemp Bills For 2026 Session

New Hampshire lawmakers are gearing up for a busy 2026 session when it comes to cannabis and psychedelics, filing at least a dozen requests for legislative staff to draft reform bills they plan to file next year.

That includes proposals to legalize adult-use marijuana for commercial and non-commercial use, protect gun rights for medical cannabis patients, let dispensaries operate on a for-profit basis, revise the definition of hemp, allow the therapeutic use of psilocybin in a clinical setting and repeal the state’s controlled drug statutes altogether.

Three of the measures concern cannabis legalization, which has consistently stalled in the legislature over recent years. One would provide for a regulatory model where adults could access products from retailers, while two would legalize the personal possession and use of marijuana without a commercial model.

One of the marijuana legalization requests, filed by Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D), is a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by the legislature, would put the reform issue on the ballot for voters to determine.

Sen. Donovan Fenton (D), who filed a separate legalization proposal, said that part of the motivation is for the state to catch up with its neighbors.

“You know, every state around us has legalized it,” he told The Keene Sentinel. “They’re not having issues with it. And it would be a great revenue driver.”

Two bicameral Republican members are sponsoring bills aimed at ensuring that the gun rights of registered medical cannabis patients would not be infringed, at least at the state level, simply for using marijuana in compliance with state law.

Another set of proposals touch on psychedelics policy, with two bills that would allow the therapeutic use of psilocybin in a regulated medical setting and another that would facilitate New Hampshire’s participation in a “multi-state consortium” dealing with clinical trials investigating the potential of ibogaine to treat substance misuse disorder.

Meanwhile, Rep. Aidan Ankarberg (I) pre-filed a measure simply meant to strike the state’s Controlled Drug Act, which theoretically would legalize all currently illicit substances.

Here’s the list of notable cannabis and psychedelic bill requests for the 2026 session:

— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. —

Earlier this month, meanwhile, a New Hampshire House Finance subcommittee advanced a bill to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in the state to convert from non-profit organizations to for-profit businesses.

Another New Hampshire House committee recently discussed plans to move forward with a bill to legalize marijuana altogether–even though members accept that it is unlikely to advance beyond the chamber given opposition in the Senate and the threat of a veto by the governor.

“We know where it’s going to go. Let’s send a virtue signal,” the sponsor of the legalization proposal, Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), said during a House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee hearing last month. “Let them be the ones that are pissing off voters who care about this.”

Sullivan ultimately made a persuasive defense of moving forward with his original bill, pointing out that the House has repeatedly passed similar legalization legislation and that the chamber should stand its ground, forcing the Senate and governor to again go on record with their opposition to a policy popular among voters.

Meanwhile, after the House added provisions to a Senate-passed bill that would allow medical marijuana patients to grow cannabis at home, those measures were stripped in conference.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) also said in August that her position on marijuana legalization would not change even if the federal government moved forward with rescheduling the plant—a policy change President Donald Trump is actively considering.

“If federal law changes, I have to comply with federal law,” Ayotte said. “But my position has been, and continues to be, that we should not legalize marijuana in the future.”

Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.