The vote marked the first time that either chamber of the New Hampshire legislature had voted in favor of the medicinal use of cannabis. In 2007, House members narrowly defeated a similar bill by a vote of 186 to 177. Under the measure, qualified patients would "not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty, or denied any right or privilege ... for the medical use of marijuana."

The bill now goes before the state Senate. If enacted, New Hampshire would become the fourteenth state to allow for the state-authorized use of medical marijuana.

According to a Mason-Dixon research poll, 71 percent of New Hampshire voters support "changing the law in New Hampshire to allow seriously and terminally ill patients to use and grow medical marijuana for personal use if their doctors recommend it."

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org or Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Additional information about this bill is available from NHCompassion.org or by visiting NORML's Take Action Center.