A New Hampshire bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana hit a bump Tuesday when the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee gave it a thumbs down. But despite the committee vote, the bill is not dead and will be the subject of an expected roll-call vote on the House floor.

The move was especially disappointing coming after a subcommittee of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee approved it on a 3-1 vote last week. But even that vote had resulted in a scaling back of the original proposal. Instead of the original one ounce cut-off point, the subcommittee voted to make it one-fourth of an ounce.

HB 1623 would reduce the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana from a Class A misdemeanor with possible jail time to a violation punishable by a maximum fine of $200. Sponsored by Reps. Jeffrey Fontas (D-Nashua), Andrew Edwards (D-Nashua), and Charles Weed (D-Keene), the bill has garnered strong public support, but also loud law enforcement opposition.

While proponents were disappointed with the committee's decision not to recommend the bill for further action, they expect a lively floor debate. "We're looking forward to taking the conversation to the floor of the House," Fontas said following the session.

"It's clear that legislators are becoming increasingly concerned about the unintended consequences of marijuana prohibition," explained Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, the Marijuana Policy Project-affiliated group that is leading the campaign. "Based on this vote, it seems discussing sensible marijuana policy still makes some people uncomfortable. But people sure are talking, and they're realizing the consequences of penalties that far exceed the offense they're supposed to correct."

Eleven states have decriminalized marijuana possession, including New Hampshire neighbors Maine and New York. The Vermont Senate passed a similar measure last week.