New Legislation Expands Who Can Prescribe and Qualify for Medical Cannabis in New Hampshire
New Hampshire Expands Access to Medical Cannabis with Landmark Legislation.
New Hampshire has significantly expanded its medical cannabis program, enacting two separate bills removing restrictions on which conditions cannabis can be prescribed for and which medical professionals can issue prescriptions.
Last week, the state governor, Chris Sununu, signed both Senate Bill 357 and House Bill 1278 into law.
The first expands the scope of healthcare providers eligible to certify patients for the state’s therapeutic cannabis program. The legislation now includes any licensed provider who can prescribe medication and is primarily responsible for the patient’s care related to their qualifying condition.
Additionally, it mandates that minors seeking cannabis treatment must receive certification from two healthcare providers, one of whom must be a pediatric care specialist. This change is expected to increase access to medical cannabis across the state.
The second, HB 1278, adds a new subparagraph to legislation determining the qualifying conditions for medical cannabis.
It effectively enables patients aged 21 and older to be certified for medical cannabis if they have any debilitating or terminal condition that, in the clinical opinion of their healthcare provider, would benefit from cannabis use.
The certifying provider must document the specific condition or symptom and affirm that the potential benefits outweigh the health risks.
Set to come into force in 60 days, this change is a substantial shift from the state’s earlier approach, which limited cannabis use to a specific set of conditions. The law also reflects a growing recognition of cannabis’s potential benefits across a broader range of health issues.
This legislation comes as part of a series of broader reforms aimed at improving access to medical cannabis in New Hampshire. Other recent changes include the addition of generalized anxiety disorder to the list of qualifying conditions.
Despite this trend, it comes just months after the state’s House of Representatives narrowly voted to table a Senate-approved bill that would have legalized and regulated cannabis in the state, effectively halting the progress of the reform for this year and possibly beyond.
This decision came just before the upcoming November election, which will bring in a new governor and potentially reshape the legislature.
