Senate Rejects Plan to Decriminalize Small Amounts of Pot

The yearslong effort to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana will likely have to wait another year.

The New Hampshire House overwhelmingly supports a plan to make possession of up to one half an ounce of marijuana a violation level offense rather than a misdemeanor. A bipartisan group of senators were promoting a softer plan to make possession of up to one quarter ounce of marijuana a violation on the first offense. Subsequent violations would be a misdemeanor.

But after a lengthy floor debate Thursday, senators moved to table the proposal. That means it likely won't come back until next year.

The Legislature passed a medical marijuana law in 2013, but the dispensaries are not yet up and running. The House has backed decriminalization numerous times in recent years.