Nashua has no recreational cannabis dispensaries because New Hampshire has no recreational cannabis market — HB 1633 (2024), the most recent adult-use legalization vehicle, was killed in the House on June 13, 2024. The only legally operating cannabis retailers in New Hampshire are therapeutic-cannabis Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs) licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services under RSA 126-X:7. As of 2026, the seven operating ATC dispensary locations are Sanctuary ATC (Plymouth and Conway), Temescal Wellness (Keene, Lebanon, and Dover), and GraniteLeaf Cannabis (Merrimack and Chichester); none of those sites are in Nashua. ATC siting in any New Hampshire municipality is governed by local zoning, and Nashua's Chapter 190 (Land Use Code) has not designated specific zones for ATCs.
New Hampshire authorizes only medical therapeutic cannabis dispensing through state-licensed Alternative Treatment Centers under RSA 126-X (Use of Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes, enacted 2013). RSA 126-X:7 (Departmental Administration; Alternative Treatment Centers) authorizes DHHS to register a limited number of nonprofit ATCs to cultivate, manufacture, and dispense therapeutic cannabis to qualifying patients holding a DHHS registry ID card. ATCs operate as nonprofits and must obtain local zoning approval before DHHS issues a final registration certificate. Under state guidance, an ATC cannot be located in a residential district and cannot be located within a pre-existing designated drug-free school zone. Common local restrictions adopted by other NH municipalities include limitation to commercial, industrial, or office districts and minimum buffer distances from schools, parks, and day-care facilities — frequently 1,000 feet. Nashua's Land Use Code (Chapter 190) does not currently include a stand-alone ATC use category in the Article VI Supplemental Use Regulations or the Part 2 Zoning Districts use tables; an applicant would need to seek a zoning interpretation or variance through the Zoning Board of Adjustment under Chapter 190 Article XV. Recreational cannabis sale and possession of more than three-quarters of an ounce of cannabis remain illegal in New Hampshire under RSA 318-B, and no recreational dispensary can be sited in Nashua because no state recreational market exists. The 2024 House vote (178-173) on June 13, 2024 ended that session's attempt at adult-use legalization; subsequent legislative sessions would need to revisit the issue. Nashua is the second-largest city in New Hampshire and shares a border with Massachusetts, where adult-use cannabis is fully legal — but no NH retailer can legally sell to Nashua residents for adult use.
Operating any cannabis dispensary in Nashua without DHHS registration as an ATC under RSA 126-X:7 violates the New Hampshire Controlled Drug Act, RSA 318-B, and is enforceable as a felony under RSA 318-B:26 (manufacture, sale, or distribution of a controlled drug). Local enforcement is also available under Chapter 190 (cease-and-desist for unauthorized land use) and the Nashua business-licensing provisions. Operating in violation of an ATC's RSA 126-X registration conditions (e.g., outside an approved location, with more product than permitted, or to non-registered customers) can result in registration suspension or revocation by DHHS in addition to RSA 318-B criminal charges. There is no city authority to license a recreational dispensary — none exists under state law.
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Nashua, NH
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