Key NH Cannabis Legislators & Officials

Last verified: April 2026

The Governors

Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) — January 2025 to present

Kelly Ayotte took office as the 83rd Governor of New Hampshire on January 9, 2025, defeating Democrat Joyce Craig 53.7%–44%. She is a former U.S. Senator (2011–2017) who lost her 2016 reelection to Maggie Hassan, and a former NH Attorney General (2004–2009). She returned to office through the 2024 gubernatorial primary and general election.

Ayotte ran on a hard-line anti-legalization platform and her position has not softened in office. In a March 26, 2025 statement she said: “I do not support the legalization of cannabis. I don’t think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons. … I ran on this issue and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it.” In August 2025 she clarified that her position would not change even if cannabis were rescheduled to Schedule III federally.

Her stated arguments rest on youth mental health, traffic safety, and “quality of life.” She has not pursued executive orders on cannabis, but is expected to veto any adult-use bill that reaches her desk. Notably, she has signaled possible openness to medical home cultivation for registered patients — a far narrower carve-out than full legalization.

Former Gov. Chris Sununu (R) — 2017–2025

Sununu, a four-term Republican governor, occupied a complicated middle ground. He opposed adult-use through most of his tenure but was tactical and signed several reforms:

• HB 640 (2017) — statewide decriminalization of up to 3/4 oz
• HB 1349 — added generalized anxiety disorder to TCP qualifying conditions
• HB 1278 (2024) — expanded TCP eligibility and reciprocity
• SB 426 (2024) — cannabis open-container rule
• SB 357 (2024) — broadened the list of certifying providers

In 2023, Sununu reversed on adult-use in favor of a state-controlled franchise model patterned on the NH Liquor Commission. That “state store” framing for HB 639 (2023) created legislative debate fragmentation between House members who saw a state monopoly as too restrictive and Senate moderates who treated the franchise model as a hard ceiling. The 2024 HB 1633 conference compromise was built around Sununu’s framework; its death in the House on June 13, 2024 was, in retrospect, the last realistic legalization window for years. Sununu left office January 2025.

Former Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) — 2013–2017

Hassan signed the original HB 573 (2013) creating the Therapeutic Cannabis Program under RSA 126-X. She is now a U.S. Senator.

Former Gov. John Lynch (D) — 2005–2013

Lynch vetoed two earlier medical-cannabis bills (2009 and 2012) before Hassan signed in 2013. His vetoes are part of why NH’s TCP launched a full decade after California’s 1996 medical program.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte: "I do not support the legalization of cannabis. I don't think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons. ... I ran on this issue and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it."

Gov. Kelly Ayotte, public remarks

Senate Leadership and the Kill Point

Senate President Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry)

Carson has represented District 14 since 2008 and was unanimously elected Senate President after the 2024 elections, succeeding Jeb Bradley. She is firmly anti-legalization. In May 2024 Senate Judiciary debate on HB 1633, she objected to the bill’s 15-store retail cap as “picking winners and losers” — but voted against the underlying bill anyway. As Senate President, Carson controls committee assignments and floor scheduling, giving her near-total control of any legalization bill’s fate in the upper chamber.

Sen. Daryl Abbas (R-Salem)

Abbas chairs Senate Judiciary, the committee that has functioned as the consistent kill point for cannabis bills. He chaired the 2023 Cannabis Commission and led the Senate amendment of HB 1633 in 2024 toward the state-franchise model. Once HB 1633 went to a Committee of Conference, Abbas voted to send it back. In 2025 he tabled HB 53 (medical home grow) in May and recorded an inexpedient-to-legislate vote against HB 198 (full legalization). His procedural posture has been the difference between a House-passed bill reaching a vote and dying in committee.

Sen. Keith Murphy (R-Manchester)

One of the few pro-legalization Senate Republicans. Murphy was among the five Republican senators who crossed over to pass HB 1633 14–10 on May 23, 2024 — the first time the NH Senate ever passed a cannabis legalization bill.

Sen. Becky Whitley (D)

A Democratic point-person on cannabis reform in the upper chamber, frequently signing on to expansion bills and home-grow measures.

Sen. Donovan Fenton (D-Keene)

2025–2026 legalization sponsor in the Senate; companion vehicle for the House push.

Sen. Tim Lang (R-Sanbornton)

Free State–aligned Republican; voted for HB 1633 in 2024 and is one of the small handful of GOP senators consistently open to reform on liberty grounds.

House Leadership

Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry)

Speaker since January 6, 2021 (after the death of Speaker-elect Dick Hinch), re-elected through 2026. Packard is not a vocal cannabis opponent and has allowed legalization bills to come to the House floor, where they routinely pass. He has not used his agenda-setting power to drive reform, focusing instead on parental rights, taxation, and budget priorities.

House Sponsors Over Time

The Late Rep. Renny Cushing (D-Hampton)

Cushing was the principal force behind decriminalization for nearly two decades. He sponsored HB 640 (2017) and HB 481 (2019) — the first comprehensive legalize-and-tax bill of the modern era — and constitutional amendment proposals to send legalization to a statewide vote. Cushing died of cancer on March 7, 2022. His body of work remains the foundation of the Democratic legalization push.

Rep. Jared Sullivan (D-Bethlehem)

Lead sponsor of HB 639 (2023), HB 198 (2025), and HB 186 (2026) — the face of the modern Democratic legalization push. (Despite some confusion in earlier published references, Sullivan caucuses with Democrats; he is a Democrat from Bethlehem, not a Republican.)

Rep. Erica Layon (R-Derry)

Lead House sponsor of HB 1633 (2024), the bill that came nearest to passage — the first cannabis legalization bill ever passed by the New Hampshire Senate.

Rep. Anita Burroughs (D-Carroll County)

Long-time legalization cosponsor; co-sponsored HB 1633 (2024) and earlier measures.

Rep. Kevin Verville (R-Deerfield)

Free State–aligned sponsor of HB 75 (2025), which proposed non-commercial legalization with no retail market. House passed it by voice vote in February 2025; Senate Judiciary tabled it.

Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough)

Sponsor of CACR 19 (2026), a constitutional amendment that would have legalized “a modest amount of cannabis for personal consumption” without involving the governor, and HB 196 (annulment of cannabis convictions). The House never called CACR 19 to a vote in 2026.

Rep. Tim Lang (R)

Free State–aligned Republican who has sponsored or co-sponsored adult-use legalization. Now serving in the Senate.

Rep. Wendy Thomas (D-Merrimack)

Sponsor of HB 53 (2025), the medical home-cultivation-only bill. House passed; Senate killed 16–8 after amendment fights.

House Vote Tallies on Recent Bills

The House has passed legalization repeatedly with comfortable margins; the Senate has been the chokepoint.

The 2024 HB 1633 Senate Crossover Vote

On May 23, 2024, the NH Senate passed HB 1633 14–10 — the first time the chamber had ever passed a cannabis legalization bill. Five Republican senators crossed over with the Democratic caucus:

• Sen. Daryl Abbas (R-Salem)
• Sen. Dan Innis (R)
• Sen. Tim Lang (R)
• Sen. Keith Murphy (R-Manchester)
• Sen. Howard Pearl (R)

The bill ultimately died June 13, 2024, when the House tabled the Conference Committee report 178–173.

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