CONCORD — The fate of recreational cannabis legalization this year now rests with New Hampshire’s 24 state senators.

HB 481, legalizing the commercial production and sale of adult-use marijuana products is currently being debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee with a public hearing continued to May 7.

Matt Simon, New England political director with the Marijuana Policy Project, said without a veto-proof, two-thirds majority in the Senate and significant movement in the House from its 200-163 vote to pass the bill April 4, the vote would be mostly symbolic as Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has repeatedly said a legalization bill is dead on arrival on his desk. Simon said he now believes legalization is a “long shot” to pass this year.

“It’s still a little too early to tell at this point ... the odds are stacked against legalization in the big picture this year," he said. "The votes are there to pass it (in the Senate), but not by a two-thirds majority. There would have to be some kind of development to pick up more votes. New Hampshire is going to be an island of prohibition in part because the governor has completely removed himself from this process.”

Sen. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, said in order to increase the likelihood of more of his fellow legislators supporting legalization, he has asked the chairman of the Judiciary Committee if he could draft an amendment to HB 481, which would initially ban the sale of edible cannabis products and THC-infused vaping liquid. THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active chemical compound in cannabis.

Sherman said he wanted the legal cannabis market to be rolled out in a phased approach, similar to how the state began its medicinal cannabis industry. He said it started with a narrow list of conditions eligible to be treated with cannabis and gradually expanded over time. He said by gradually introducing edible and vaping products, it would give regulators time to learn more how many people are using and if adolescent substance abuse was increasing prior to the products being allowed for sale.

“It’s the edibles and vaping products that have the highest tendencies to be abused," said Sherman, who supports legalization. "As we gain experience with the industry we can considering broadening what is legal to be sold, we don’t have to start with an all-in approach. “The governor is going to be less likely to veto if there are protections in place and it’s a thoughtful bill, gradually expanding what can be purchased. Should the governor veto it, a bill that is gradual is more likely to pick up the maximum amount of support of in the legislature among people who are still on the fence.”

Simon said he would be willing to accept some compromise on what cannabis products would be initially available for purchase in final legislation, so long as legalization is passed. He said he has not yet approached any members of the state House of Representatives to gauge the willingness of the no-votes to flip.

According to the proposed legalization bill, it would allow any person age 21 and older to legally possess up to one ounce of cannabis and up to five grams of THC concentrate in public. Individuals also would be allowed to cultivate up to six plants, with up to three being mature, and households would be allowed up to 12 plants. The bill makes consuming cannabis in public punishable with a $100 fine. Anyone previously convicted of possessing or growing an amount of cannabis, considered legal under the proposed legislation, and would be eligible to have their conviction annulled.

According to the state’s cannabis study commission's annual revenue projections, legal cannabis could earn the state $15.2 million to $26.9 million on the low end of estimates and $32.7 million to $57.7 million on the high end. According to the bill’s text, 29 percent of revenue would be allocated for voluntary substance abuse programs, 33 percent for broad-based aid to municipalities and 33 percent to the state general fund, with the remaining funds being paid to the proposed Cannabis Control Commission to regulate the market and to state agencies to pay for the hiring of more drug recognition experts.

New Hampshire is now surrounded by legal marijuana with Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Canada, all having legalized. However, Vermont did not legalize the commercial sale of cannabis products.

Among several other Seacoast senators, the willingness to vote in favor of legalization was mixed.

Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, said he did not support legalization because cannabis remains a Schedule I narcotic at the federal level, along with heroin, LSD and other substances with no perceived medical benefits and a high tendency for abuse.

“If people want me to soften my position, they can go to Washington and get (cannabis) off the Schedule I list,” Gray said. “If New Hampshire residents want to buy it, it’s a short drive to do what they want to do. There’s going to be more marijuana available no matter what now that it’s decriminalized to three-quarters of an ounce, it’s not a big deal anymore.”

Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, said he would “likely” support the legalization bill because he is “reluctantly” accepting the reality of marijuana products purchased legally in Massachusetts and Maine would be flooding into the state and could create an impracticality for law enforcement to stop.

The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police opposes cannabis legalization.

“What is a Dover officer supposed to do? Stop every car at the border and check for legally purchased marijuana? It’s a law enforcement impossibility,” Watters said. “I respect our law enforcement; we have the best of any state, but they face the issue of resource allocation. In the midst of the opioid crisis, is enforcing the cannabis prohibition what they want to spend their time on? I understand there is a will to enforce the this, but is there a way?”

Watters added he had some reservations about the bill ensuring funds for treatment and prevention, especially for minors.

Sen. Jon Morgan, D-Brentwood, said he was undecided on how he would vote. He said he needed to be convinced there were enough safeguards in place to prevent children and adolescents from accessing products and funding prevention and abuse programs. He said there were several outstanding issues, such as cannabis businesses not being able to use the banking system that he needs further clarification on. He said he found data showing a “substantive” correlation in states that have legalized and saw a reduction in opiate overdose deaths “very compelling.”

“It is not a top issue for me," Morgan said. "I approach this as a father with three boys and I want to make sure they’re protected. I’m cognizant these decision aren’t made in a vacuum because what our neighboring states have done. I’m looking forward to hearing all the testimony in its entirety.”

Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Kate Frey, executive director of New Futures, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the health and wellness of the state’s children, said her organization’s biggest opposition to legalization is commercialized marijuana setting up shop in the state. She said she is concerned the bill does not adequately address preventing access to cannabis products by minors. She is also concerned that money to be allocated for treatment would go the route of the state alcohol fund and become a piggy bank of sorts for the Legislature.

“This legislation has been presented like the Cannabis Commission hands the revenue over for prevention, recovery and treatment, but any budget writer will tell you it has to go through Legislature’s budget process first and come out of the general fund,” Frey said. “Policy makers have never fully funded the alcohol fund, so with our state’s record it makes us skeptical.”