New Hampshire Cannabis Market – Business Plan Templates

Medical Cannabis Legalization

Medical cannabis was legalized in New Hampshire in 2013 through House Bill 573. The law is codified as RSA Chapter 126-X. Administrative rules are contained in Chapter He-C 400. Medical cannabis can only be accessed by patients with qualifying medical conditions outlined on the official website of New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). Qualifying patients can possess two ounces of usable cannabis at a time.

The law also establishes Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs) which are not-for-profit centers operating for the benefit of their patients. As of March 2025, the DHHS website states that there are 7 ATCs in New Hampshire.

From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, there were 13,364 qualifying patients – up by 9.2% from 2021 – and 506 caregivers. The majority of patients received medical cannabis treatment for “Moderate to severe chronic pain” (61.4%), followed by PTSD (22.3%).

Recreational Cannabis

Recreational cannabis is currently illegal in New Hampshire. However, in 2017 penalties for possession of three-quarters of an ounce of cannabis by individuals aged 21 and older were reduced from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil violation through the passage of House Bill 640.

Over the years, several attempts have been made to legalize recreational cannabis in the state with no progress. In 2023, Governor Chris Sununu expressed that he is open to signing a cannabis legalization bill if it includes strict state control over marketing and sales. In 2024, House Bill 1633 was proposed but the bill was rejected by the New Hampshire House, stating that it included too much government involvement.

In 2025, House Bill 75 was introduced which would legalize cannabis for individuals aged 21 and over. Although the bill passed the House, there is little optimism that it will be signed into law.

A May 2024 poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire revealed that 72% of New Hampshirites are in favor of recreational cannabis legalization with 52% stating that they strongly support it.

Shop

'70% ready to go' business plan templates

Our cannabis financial models and cannabis business plan templates will help you estimate how much it costs to start and operate your own cannabis business, to build all revenue and cost line-items monthly over a flexible seven year period, and then summarize the monthly results into quarters and years for an easy view into the various time periods. We also offer investor pitch deck templates.