New Hampshire Medical Pot Dispensaries Open Business to Outsiders (Even Canadians!)

Medical cannabis patients visiting New Hampshire from other states or Canada can now seek treatment at licensed New Hampshire dispensaries.

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced Beginning Wednesday, June 28, the state’s “alternative treatment centers” will be able to “distribute therapeutic cannabis to out-of-state and Canadian visitors who are licensed to possess cannabis for therapeutic purposes in their state or state.” It says it is allowed.

“In-hospital patients may purchase therapeutic cannabis three times a year from the New Hampshire ATC using a valid therapeutic cannabis identification card issued by another state or Canada. Visiting patients can purchase cannabis at the New Hampshire ATC with the same frequency as eligible patients in New Hampshire if they have a documented eligible medical condition that is on the list of symptoms,” the agency said.and preliminary report posted on the website.

“If you visit a patient, you must present matching photo identification with your out-of-state cannabis ID card. Visiting patients must comply with all applicable state laws regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis,” the bulletin continued.

New Hampshire legalized medical marijuana in 2013, with then-Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan signing the bill into law. At the time, New Hampshire was only the 19th state to legalize the treatment.

“Allowing physicians to help patients through the use of properly regulated and dispensed medical cannabis is compassionate and just policy for the State of New Hampshire, and this law provides a means to prevent abuse. I will take steps to ensure that this policy is addressed in the right way,” Hassan, now a U.S. Senator, said in a statement at the time.

Currently, 38 states have medical marijuana laws. According to the National Congress of State Legislatures. And New Hampshire has expanded its own laws, with Hassan signing legislation in 2015 to expand the list of eligibility requirements.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, To receive treatment with medical cannabis, a patient “must be diagnosed with a single medical condition or an eligible diagnosis and a combination of eligible symptoms.”

For each clinical department, patients with the following independent symptoms are eligible. Autism Spectrum Disorder (under age 21) (consultation with a board-certified child and/or adolescent psychiatrist, developmental pediatrician, or pediatric neurologist is required. That physician must: (1) have an autism spectrum disorder; has not responded to previously prescribed medications, or that other treatment options cause serious side effects and (2) supports certification for therapeutic cannabis use) . Moderate or severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Moderate to severe chronic pain. Severe pain that has not responded to previously prescribed medications or surgical procedures, or severe side effects of other treatments. Opioid use disorders with associated symptoms of craving or withdrawal (requires a healthcare provider who is actively treating patients with opioid use disorders and is certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry).

But New Hampshire is the only state in New England that has not yet legalized recreational marijuana for adults, so it’s not for nothing.

In May, the New Hampshire Senate rejected a bill passed by the state House of Representatives a month earlier to legalize recreational pots.

The bill was defeated 14-10 in the state Senate.