Lebanon city leaders are looking into possible locations for a medical marijuana dispensary.

The proposed dispensary would serve patients in Cheshire, Sullivan and Grafton counties.

Changes to the city's zoning ordinance, which were passed by the city council, identify a few areas where a dispensary could be located. They include sections of Route 12A, parts of Route 120 near the Lebanon-Hanover town line, sections of Route 4 near Interstate 89 and parts of Miracle Mile Road.

New Hampshire has a reputation as a place where liberties are prized yet it’s the only New England state where possessing even a small amount of marijuana remains a crime that can land people in jail. A bill before the state’s GOP-controlled legislature would change that, but first it needs to win the backing of Governor Hassan.

If you were an advocate of looser marijuana laws, freewheeling New Hampshire, where seat belts are optional and the state puts liquor stores at highway rest stops, might seem fertile ground. But pot is an issue that defies the state’s live free or die image.

“Well, first and foremost it’s illegal under federal law.”

It's been nearly two years since the New Hampshire Legislature passed a medical marijuana law, but it's unlikely that the first dispensaries will open here until 2016.

"Evaluators" are still combing through the applications - each hundreds of pages long - from the 14 nonprofit entities vying to open alternative treatment centers (ATCs), according to the state health department.

"The applications are huge," said Eric Borrin, director of contracts and procurements for the Department of Health and Human Services. "They're requiring time to work through, and there's a certain amount of due diligence and fact-checking that needs to be done with respect to the responses that have been received."

As the Senate takes up the latest attempt to decriminalize marijuana in New Hampshire, proponents brought in a new ally to lend a voice to their cause: the head of a national coalition of law enforcement officials advocating for drug policy reform.

American Seed & Oil Company Brings DuBe Hemp Energy Shot to Three More States - Colorado, New Hampshire and Vermont

DALLAS, March 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Algae International Group, Inc. (OTC: ALGA), through its operating subsidiary American Seed & Oil Company, today announced an expansion of the previously announced  distribution agreement of the DuBe Hemp Energy Shot in Texas and Kentucky.  American Seed & Oil will now be selling the DuBe Hemp Energy Shot in Colorado,New Hampshire and Vermont.

Gov. Maggie Hassan said the list of organizations allowed to open medical marijuana treatment centers will soon be finalized and released to the public. One of the centers is likely to be in the southwestern part of the state.

During a recent editorial board meeting at The Sentinel, Hassan said she recognizes that medical marijuana advocates and those seeking relief from debilitating diseases have been waiting patiently for the centers to become a reality.

After N.H. legislators legalized medical marijuana in 2013, the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services was charged with sorting through applicants to open four treatment centers across the state, and developing regulations for the centers.

New Hampshire may soon join other New England states in loosening the law when it comes to marijuana possession.

The Committee on Criminal Justice voted overwhelmingly Thursday to support a measure making it a violation, rather than a criminal offense, to possess a half-ounce or less of marijuana.

Under current law, possession of an ounce of marijuana or less is a Class A misdemeanor that carries with it a possible year in jail, but some believe that when it comes to societal problems, there are bigger fish to fry.

"We should be better spending our limited time and resources, and on top of that, the New Hampshire Constitution says the penalty ought to fit the crime," said Rep. Adam Shroadter, R-Newmarket.