N.H. Democratic Gov. Hopefuls Square Off

Manchester — Three men seeking the Democratic nomination for New Hampshire governor drew distinctions on Wednesday on marijuana policy, business taxes and gun control.

Former state securities regulator Mark Connolly, former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand and Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern faced each other for the third in a series of debates organized by New England College and hosted by WGIR radio.

While all three support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, only Marchand supports fully legalizing its recreational use, in part because he believes doing so could produce $30 million in annual revenue.

He used the issue to argue that his opponents have failed to be specific about how they would pay for their various proposals and criticized Van Ostern for saying marijuana legalization is a low priority compared to the state’s heroin and opioid abuse crisis.

Read more: http://www.vnews.com/New-Hampshire-Democratic-gubernatorial-hopefuls-debate-4001791