HB53

Patient home grow is critical for multiple reasons. Some patients struggle to afford ATC sold products due to the industry structure developed in our state. Some live far away from dispensaries, travel may be difficult due to medical conditions or access to transportation or be hampered by the purchase limits. Others prefer to control all aspects and ingredients of the cultivation process to ensure they have full control over their medicine. All great reasons to allow the small subset of patients that could cultivate successfully to do so.

For far too long, New Hampshire medical patients have been held back by over regulations. Nearly every medical program across the nation permits patients and caregivers to cultivate a small number of plants in their home. The fate of this bill is uncertain, but I urge everyone to support this bill like this committee has done for years. Patients and caregivers deserve to have a smidge of economic freedom and to be freed from the predatory ATC's that consistently ignore patients concerns and over charge for lack luster quality in their product offerings. On average if I were to only shop at a dispensary, I would be spending over $7,000+ dollars a year. Having the ability to grow my own would significantly reduce that number to under a thousand dollars when we factor in equipment and utility cost. The states dispensaries have offered up resources to help patients and caregivers grow the same plants they became familiar with while shopping at the ATCs. Despite claims, weed doesn't grow overnight. It's a process that takes time and not everyone would be growing as some patients don't have the interest. Patients in states that permit home grow also find a therapeutic aspect to growing as well. For these reasons, I urge committee members to vote in favor of patients and home grow. Patients have appreciated the support this committee has had for us in the past and we are hopeful for that same support this session.

Thank you for taking the time to read my testimony. Due to unforseen circumstances l could not testify in person. I am here to support the bill. I am an older homeowner living on a fixed income. A home grow option would a allow me to spend the funds l currently use for cannabis and reallocate them to home repairs, or vehicle maintenance, or food, or other medical needs. IUnder the current pricing scheme only the wealthy can afford to walk into a dispensary. If l were to purchase gummies or some other concentrate on one of NH ATC it would cost me several thousands of dollars a year. That is totally unaffordable for most people and simply unattainable for people on retirement, and disability. And pie in the sky for SSI recipients. Please do the right thing for those who are suffering. Recommend an ought to pass. Thank you Michael A. Bisson

It's silly that this is is still illegal.

I support this bill

Hello House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee My name is Annette Mattero, I live in Hillsborough,NH I am 64 years old and disabled. I have been disabled since 2015 and I am a cannabis card holder since they opened. I suffer from PTSD,Anxiety, Depression and disassociation disorder I am in support of the HB53 bill . I very much support this bill because it is very difficult for me to get to the dispensary when needed. In addition to my health issues I am on a fixed income and do not own a vehicle and taxis and uber rides are too costly for me to afford. The nearest dispensary is one hour away from my location and as you can imagine getting to and from the medical dispensary can be quite the challenge for me. Being able to cultivate small amounts of medical cannabis would be of great benefit to me financially, would greatly impact my anxiety issues and allow me to control every ingredient in the medicine I use for treatment. Even providing this testimony today is very outside of my comfort zone, however, this is an important bill and I feel strongly coming out in support of it. When you worry about when or how your going to get your medication, that makes the anxiety go up. Funny thing anxiety when it starts warming up , good ol'depression and PTSD join in and make it a group effort. I have never done anything like this before, so I am stepping out of my comfort zone. Had I a car I would be there in person. I am on a fixed income so I cannot afford ubers or a taxi cab. I am positive that if I feel this way there are many more like me struggling to get out of the comfort zone to be heard. Thank you for your time Annette Mattero

I have had the opportunity to work on a cannabis farm in Massachusetts for the last three years. There is not better feeling than tending to a plant that you know is going to serve someone medicinally. Patient’s should have access to grow their own medicine.

My name is Jim Riddle, Hillsboro, NH. I am a medical cannabis patient and owner of Lamb’s Breath Seeds. I urge the NH House to adopt HB53, which would allow therapeutic cannabis patients and caregivers to cultivate a small number of cannabis plants at registered locations. As written, HB53 would require all medical cannabis patients and caregivers who want to cultivate cannabis plants to follow strict requirements and to register their grow locations. There will be full accountability. As you may be aware, NH’s therapeutic cannabis program has operated for more than 10 years, with no problems. This bill will allow patients to select cannabis strains which are not offered by ATCs, and which meet their medical needs. They would know exactly how their plants are grown, and would not need to travel to obtain their medicine. Under HB53, seedlings, which are technically “hemp” since they contain no THC, as ruled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, could be sold by the ATCs. On this point, I urge the Committee to amend line 37, page 5, by adding the word “seeds or,” to read: “(2) An alternative treatment center shall not be limited in the number of [seeds or] seedlings it can possess or cultivate.” This would clarify that ATCs can possess and sell both seeds and seedlings. HB53 will remove regulatory barriers; decrease costs for therapeutic cannabis patients; improve numerous efficiencies; add more treatment options for patients; and be overseen by a State government agency with an impeccable track record.

Physicians should have no limits in treating their patients.

This bill is the beginning of giving patients the actual benefits of medical cannabis. Patients in every legal state are tired of having the knowledge and means to grow safe, quality product for themselves and having to go to dispensary and waste $40 on low tier, dry, old product. This eliminates the state's ridiculous packaging, growing, and metrc rules that only hinder growers who want to grow quality product & help themselves. There are also labs who will happily test home grown cannabis for safety. There is no reason to restrict home grow unless the state wants to continue to be greedy and not care about the program's patients. We shouldn't be restricted to state approved grows when the state has no idea what dangerous cannabis even looks like or does to consumers. The state fails at requiring reasonable test results for yeast & mold resulting in remediated, muted, tasteless product. The state fails at giving patients an affordable program to renew into. The state fails at providing any sort of competition allowing only three companies (Temescal & Sanctuary being multi state operators) to operate. The state fails at getting new patients with the exorbitant fees and lack of variety in products. This state needs a data aggregator to calculate how much money people like me spend outside of New Hampshire dispensaries on cannabis to show how poor & unattended this program really is. You are losing money and restricting patients. Please try to care about us, and if you don't please get out of the way.

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