With votes falling predominantly along party lines (Republicans opposed, Democrats in favor), the New Hampshire House Criminal Justice Committee rejected proposals to allow people to cultivate up to six plants per household and legalize and tax marijuana. The roadblock to legalization wasn’t the typical stigmatization of marijuana, though – New Hampshire is one of only a few states without a sales tax (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon are the other four).

“There is a version of recreational cannabis I will support,” said Committee Chairman Darryl Abbas, Republican of Salem. “But I don’t support a sales tax on anything and I’m not going to support a sales tax on this.”

Republican concern appears to be that allowing a sales tax on cannabis would open the door to a statewide sales tax. With the state motto being “Live Free or Die,” it’s unsurprising that legislators would firmly hold to tradition. While it’s undoubtedly frustrating for a number of NH residents, tourists, and lawmakers alike, the complex situation surrounding cannabis taxation in a state with no sales tax definitely warrants deep, thoughtful, careful consideration and planning.

Opponents of legalization have focused their lobbying efforts on the state Senate where bills to permit the sale of recreational marijuana and to allow adults to cultivate marijuana for personal use have never found success. Interestingly, though, those same bills have cleared the New Hampshire House several times.

“I understand there might be some more proposals coming, yet this is the best bill to have come before the House,” said Dover Democrative Rep. Casey Conley before the vote occurred. While Corey and others were in favor of the bill, though, it was ultimately shot down yet again.

New Hampshire Governor Sununu recently signed a bill that includes opioid use disorder as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical-marijuana program. The bill also allows out-of-state patients to access dispensaries. But while that is a positive move toward true drug reform, Sununu continues the tradition of the granite State never having a governor to support recreational legalization.

Along with a medical marijuana program, New Hampshire has decriminalized cannabis possession. It remains the only state in northern New England to have rejected marijuana legalization for recreational use.