State lawmakers are calling on the federal government to change its drug laws to let states experiment with marijuana and hemp policy.

The National Conference of State Legislatures, the de facto bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed a resolution at its annual meeting Thursday calling on the federal government to amend the Controlled Substances Act to authorize state marijuana laws and on the administration to keep its nose out of state pot policies.

Pot politics is heating up on the presidential campaign trail.

The majority of New Hampshire voters, including most independents, favor the legalization of recreational marijuana and decriminalization of pot, according to a new WMUR Granite State Poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

The early voting state is one of the most important for presidential candidates. So marijuana advocates hope the findings will encourage White House hopefuls to embrace their cause. 

Support for marijuana legalization and decriminalization in New Hampshire is rising, particularly among Democrats and undeclared voters, according to a poll released Thursday. The poll, by WMUR-TV in Manchester, revealed that 3 in 5 adults in the first-in-the-nation primary state favor marijuana legalization, while 72 percent support decriminalization.

Three groups selected by the state to operate New Hampshire’s first medical marijuana dispensaries are still a long way from being open for business next year.

Although there is still more to come in what has been a lengthy approval process, the groups have at least preliminary clearance to move forward and work out the locations of the dispensaries and who will be working there.

“I think it’s most significant for the patients,” said Ted Rebholz, board president for Temescal Wellness Inc., one of the three winners announced by the state last week. “There are a lot of citizens of New Hampshire that have been waiting a long time for access to medical cannabis.”

State officials have selected three companies to move forward toward opening nonprofit medical marijuana treatment centers in New Hampshire, but it remains unclear exactly where or when the centers will open.

By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press | Associated Press – 

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- For 20 years, Frank Paine has suffered from chronic back pain that caused him to retire early in 2009 and now makes it hard for him to walk long distances.

He's tried numerous medications, physical therapy and acupuncture. None of it has worked, but he and his doctor see another possible source of relief: Medical marijuana.

The state legalized medical marijuana in 2013, but Paine still has no idea whether it's a treatment that will work. He won't use it until he can access it legally and that's still not possible, a lag that has frustrated potential patients.

With New York State beginning to accept applications for medical marijuana providers last week, criticism of the hyper-strict program negotiated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been plentiful. Hinged on concerns about arbitrary regulations and insufficient patient access, advocates for medical marijuana access worry the program will be too small and restrictive to be effective.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire is one step closer to giving qualifying patients access to medical marijuana.

The state's Department of Health and Human Services says it has selected three vendors to operate four dispensaries across the state, although specific locations have not been chosen. New Hampshire passed a medical marijuana law in 2013, and the state is running behind schedule in making the treatment available.

The dispensaries will be located in four specific geographic areas: Belknap, Strafford and Rockingham counties; Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties; Sullivan and Cheshire counties; and Grafton, Carroll and Coos counties.

Medical marijuana is one step closer to reality in New Hampshire.

The first applicants to open medical marijuana facilities in New Hampshire have been approved by the state, but it will likely be months before they open.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of New Hampshire, Temescal Wellness, Inc., and Sanctuary ATC were selected to begin the post-selection registration process.

These three companies, chosen from a pool of 14 applicants, will be able to operate four medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state.

The battle to decriminalize marijuana in New Hampshire faces a key test this Thursday when the state Senate is expected to vote on a bill that overwhelmingly passed the N.H. House earlier this year.

While the bill has a better chance of passing than previous decriminalization efforts, passage is not a slam dunk. In fact, the bill as originally proposed is unlikely to pass the Senate, let alone be signed by Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan. Last Tuesday, Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, offered alternative language for the bill when it was discussed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. His amendment was voted down 4 to 1.