Today, a Republican-led New Hampshire House voted in favor of legalizing medical marijuana within the state. The wide-margin win is a relief to proponents of the program, who still have a long road until legalization is possible.

The House's 236-96 supermajority in favor of SB 409 sets a similar stage to the legalization bill in 2009, which enjoyed a large House victory but ended in veto after the Senate passed only 3 votes shy of the necessary three-fifths to override it.

Governor John Lynch has made it clear (as recently as Tuesday) that he will veto any bill having to do with medical marijuana, so if the Senate comes up short again when it votes, medical marijuana will have to wait another year.

According to UnionLeader.com, revisions to the bill were meant to avoid the problems other states are having with their programs. "The bill allows the patient or a registered caregiver to possess up to 6 ounces of marijuana or cultivate up to four plants within a locked and secured facility in a location known to law enforcement," says Ted Siefer of UnionLeader.com.

SB 409 still needs to be reviewed by the House Finance Committee before heading back to the Senate for a concurrence vote.

If you'd like to read the text of Senate Bill 409, you can do so here (PDF).

(header image from Flickr user J. Stephen Conn)