Marijuana (Decriminalization and Legalization)

HB 1633 Update

Alert:

Defend the Common Good – Help to Stop Legalization of Marijuana (HB 1633)

HB 1633 is a bill to legalize marijuana. The Diocese of Manchester opposes this bill because, in our view, legalizing marijuana would be harmful to the common good of New Hampshire. The principle of the common good is a cornerstone of Catholic Social Teaching and of the state and federal constitutions as well.

What Can You Do?

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Thursday, April 25 at 1:45 PM in State House Room 100. The full Senate will vote on the bill sometime in the following weeks.

Please do the following, as soon as possible:

1. Sign in electronically to register your opposition to the bill by going to this link:
   
   The New Hampshire State Senate
   
   Please do this before midnight on April 24. Electronic sign-in closes at midnight on April 25.
   
   
2. Call or email your state senator and ask them to vote against HB 1633. To find out who your senator is, visit:
   
   The New Hampshire State Senate
   
   
3. If you are able to do so, attend the hearing to show your opposition to the bill. If you are at the hearing, you can even consider testifying against the bill.

Marijuana represents a significant part of substance abuse in the United States and adversely affects the health of many Americans. The widespread use and abuse of marijuana, particularly by young people under the age of eighteen, is steadily increasing while scientific evidence clearly links its long-term damaging effects on brain development.

The Catholic Church teaches that life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God and that we must take reasonable care of them. Catechism of the Catholic Church note 2288. “The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.” Catechism at note 2291.

For these reasons, the Diocese of Manchester has urged state legislators to reject efforts to legalize marijuana.

Testimony:

HB 1633 - Legalization of Marijuana - January 17, 2024

HB 639 - Legalization of Marijuana - April 20, 2023

HB 639 - Legalization of Marijuana - January 24, 2023

HB 1598 - Legalization of Marijuana - April 20, 2022

HB 1598 Legalization of Marijuana - February 25, 2022

HB 1663 Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis - February 12, 2020

HB 481 Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis – February 5, 2019

Resources:

"Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 Survey on Drug Use and Health." Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2015. 

Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, "The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado, The Impact" Volume 4, September 2016.