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House advances fentanyl penalty reforms while adding limited psilocybin decriminalization
Summary
Lawmakers voted on Senate Bill 14, debating mandatory minimums for fentanyl offenses and a separate change decriminalizing small amounts of psilocybin. The session split lawmakers between tough-on-drugs rhetoric and calls to avoid costly, ineffective mandatory minimums.
The New Hampshire House debated and ultimately moved forward on a package that tightened penalties for fentanyl-related crimes while accepting a measure to reduce felony penalties for small amounts of psilocybin.
Supporters pressed for stiffer penalties and mandatory minimums for large-volume fentanyl distribution, saying courts should have clearer tools to punish dealers who bring deadly quantities of fentanyl into the state. Representative Terri Roy and others argued the state must act against “poison” that is killing residents and said the bill includes a judicial safety valve to preserve discretion.
Opponents, including Representative Scheer and other lawmakers with criminal-justice reform experience, said mandatory minimums have historically failed to reduce drug harms and raise incarceration costs. Scheer cited research showing mandatory minimums had little effect and warned of large correctional expenses should the state lock up more people.
The bill passed the House as amended after multiple roll-call votes on competing amendments. A House amendment that retained stronger penalties but included decriminalization for small amounts of psilocybin advanced; committee members and several veterans supported the psilocybin change, citing therapeutic benefits for PTSD and addiction. Representative Verville and Representative Roy noted the compromise combined penalty reform with narrow psychedelic policy changes.
Floor debate included technical points about thresholds: speakers noted that quantities of fentanyl in grams correspond to lethal doses and described judicial-safety-valve language aimed at excluding non-dealer cases from mandatory minimums. Representative Scheer and others warned the statutory criteria for avoiding mandatory minimums were “incredibly onerous” and might leave only a tiny fraction of defendants eligible for judicial relief.
After a sequence of amendments and division votes the House adopted the committee report on SB14 as amended. The transcript shows votes and multiple floor amendments were considered, and at the end the committee report was adopted and the bill advanced for further legislative processing.
