Advocates Urge New Hampshire Lawmakers to Prioritize Public Health and Social Justice Principles in Recreational Cannabis Legalization Efforts
CONCORD, N.H. - Earlier today, leading public health and civil rights advocates gathered to discuss the importance of prioritizing public health, racial justice, and evidence-based harm reduction in New Hampshire’s cannabis commercialization efforts.
The groups emphasized that if New Hampshire moves in the direction of commercializing recreational cannabis through a state-run model, it must utilize the best available scientific evidence to reduce public harm, limit youth and problematic use, and purposefully advance equity in the state.
At the press conference, advocates discussed the importance of including specific principles and priorities in the policy, including potency limits, expunging criminal records, and funding prevention, treatment, and evidence-based harm reduction programs.
“It is well known that the introduction of any addictive product leads to an increase in problematic use,” said Kate Frey, Vice President of Advocacy at New Futures. “As such, it is absolutely imperative that New Hampshire set aside dedicated funding to ensure our prevention, treatment, and recovery systems are fully and adequately funded to ensure our systems can handle an influx of individuals needing service.”
At the press conference, leaders from ACLU New Hampshire, Waypoint, NAMI New Hampshire, Greater Nashua Mental Health, and the New Hampshire Medical Society discussed the importance of prioritizing public health and social justice principles in recreational cannabis legalization efforts:
Frank Knaack, Policy Director, ACLU New Hampshire: “The working draft legislation prepared by the cannabis commission represents a strong, broadly-supported start for what the legislature should pass this upcoming session. New Hampshire’s war on marijuana undermines community safety and racial justice, wastes taxpayer dollars, and ruins lives – it’s time to legalize marijuana in the Granite State.”
Emily Lawrence, Deputy Advocacy Director, Waypoint: “We know that children and youth may use cannabis – either intentionally or accidentally. Science has shown that full brain development in humans does not occur until age 24 or 25, and that THC exposure can change the brain architecture of young children. It has been shown that the increasing use of cannabis will impact our children’s physical and mental health. It also impacts ambition, achievement, and productivity in children. For these reasons, any state cannabis policy must seek to protect children from cannabis exposure and limit youth use – both intentional and accidental.”
Susan Stearns, Executive Director, NAMI New Hampshire: “We believe that a responsible approach to legalization must be developed with a commitment to limiting the risk to the mental and behavioral health and wellbeing of the public, especially our youth and young adults. Research indicates that people with mental illness report using marijuana twice as much as people without mental illness and there is a documented correlation between cannabis use and the onset of schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions - especially in youth and young adults. We urge lawmakers to ensure that any policies for legalizing cannabis for retail sale include a broad array of safeguards to protect children, youth, and young adults, limit the potency of cannabis products, provide significant funding for mental health treatment including evidence-based treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance misuse disorders, as well as much-needed educational campaigns and public health initiatives.”
Dr. Cynthia Whitaker, President, Greater Nashua Mental Health: “While New Hampshire’s ten nonprofit community mental health centers do not take a position of unconditionally supporting or outright opposition to legalizing recreational cannabis use, many of our medical directors and mental health clinicians have continuing concerns about first episode psychosis and other serious impacts of recreational cannabis use. Our centers are already overwhelmed with the increased need for mental health services and have concerns that legalization will further increase that need.”
Ava Hawkes, Director of Advocacy and Media Relations, New Hampshire Medical Society: “The New Hampshire Medical Society is proud to join the Cannabis Policy Coalition for Public Health and Social Justice, and partner with a diverse and passionate group of public health and social justice advocates. If, and when, legislation seeking to legalize the commercialization and recreational use of cannabis in New Hampshire is introduced, this coalition will provide our lawmakers with the most up-to-date scientific and clinical evidence available, data that supports the mitigation of as many risks to public health and safety as possible… It is imperative to public health that New Hampshire is proactive in adequately funding harm reduction measures and readying substance use disorder treatment, recovery and prevention community supports when examining commercialized cannabis legalization policy in our state.”
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