HB 1630 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

prohibiting the sale of nitrous oxide and certain inhalants for recreational purposes.

HB 1630 prohibits businesses from selling nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") and specific inhalants like butyl nitrites for recreational use, creating a class A misdemeanor for violations. Key exceptions include medical use (e.g., by hospitals or dentists), food-related applications (like whipped cream cans), and industrial/automotive purposes. The law explicitly exempts sales of flavored whipped cream and substances sold for legitimate medical, food, or industrial purposes, but presumes recreational intent if products are marketed with food-like flavors. It takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state revenue or expenditure impact.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Dec 10, 2025 Signed Jun 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Version adopted by both bodies CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION · 3 edits
MINOR
No substantive policy changes were made between the adopted version and the final chaptered version. The bill was assigned Chapter 177, section numbers were updated accordingly (1 became 177:1, 2 became 177:2), the fiscal note was removed as is standard for final laws, and an approval date of June 19, 2026 was added. All other differences are formatting and alignment changes.
TECHNICAL

Section numbers changed from generic (1, 2) to chapter-specific (177:1, 177:2) as the bill was assigned Chapter 177 upon becoming law.

The fiscal note (including estimated state and political subdivision impacts, methodology, and agencies contacted) was removed, which is standard when a bill transitions to its final chaptered form.

TIMELINE

An approval date of June 19, 2026 was added at the end of the document, confirming when the governor signed the bill into law.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
7
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Jun 24, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor Ayotte 06/19/2026; Chapter 177; eff. 01/01/2027
lower
May 7, 2026
Upper · Passed
Ought to Pass: MA, VV; OT3rdg; 05/07/2026; SJ 11
upper
Apr 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass, 05/07/2026, Vote 3-2; SC 17
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Introduced
Introduced 03/12/2026 and Referred to Commerce; SJ 7
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Ought to Pass with Amendment 2026-0867h: MA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 13
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Introduced
Amendment # 2026-0867h: AA VV 03/11/2026 HJ 7 P. 13
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 0867h 03/03/2026 (Vote 13-0; CC) HC 10 P. 9
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Full Committee Work Session: 03/03/2026 10:00 am GP 229
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Full Committee Work Session: 02/18/2026 10:00 am GP 229
lower
Dec 10, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Commerce and Consumer Affairs HJ 1 P. 29
lower
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

Sponsors