New Hampshire Makes a Little History on Marijuana

House becomes first legislative body to vote to legalize (but a veto awaits)
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2014 6:21 PM CST
New Hampshire Makes a Little History on Marijuana
State Rep. Joel Winters talks to lawmakers on the floor of the House in Concord, N.H.   (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

If the state House in New Hampshire had its way, residents would be able to legally indulge in a little recreational marijuana. The chamber voted 170-162 today in favor of legalizing up to 1 ounce of pot, reports the Concord Monitor. The measure also would make it legal to grow and sell pot, and the state would collect a tax. The problem for pro-legalization supporters is that even if the bill eventually makes it through the state Senate (before then, it actually needs to go back through a House panel and then through the full House again), Gov. Maggie Hassan has promised to veto it, reports AP.

So a futile effort? Not exactly. While Colorado and Washington have legalized pot through voter referendums, today's vote marks the first time that a US legislative body has done so, reports US News & World Report. "House members made history today and they are clearly on the right side of it,’’ says the political director of the Marijuana Policy Project. (Click to read about Colorado's new "amnesty boxes" at airports for travelers who mistakenly bring their marijuana inside.)

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