The 5 Nonprofit Alternative Treatment Centers

Last verified: April 2026

The Nonprofit-Only Mandate — RSA 126-X:7 and 126-X:8

Under RSA 126-X:7 and 126-X:8, every NH dispensary must be a nonprofit, not-for-profit corporation, and every board must include at least one NH-licensed physician, APRN, or pharmacist plus at least one qualifying patient. The medical professional cannot have an ownership interest, and a majority of board members must be NH residents. No other U.S. state currently restricts cannabis dispensaries to nonprofit-only status. This single requirement defines NH dispensary economics: there is no equity raise, no VC or PE capital, no third-party wholesale market, and pricing is set against operating costs and reinvestment rather than competitive profit pressure.

Vertical Integration and Region Allocation

RSA 126-X requires each ATC to cultivate what it dispenses. There is no NH cannabis wholesale market and no third-party cultivation. Every ATC is a seed-to-sale operation that must grow, process, package, and dispense its own product. The 2013 statute also assigned dispensary licenses by geographic region; subsequent expansions (SB 388 in 2018; HB 335 in 2019) added points of dispensing while keeping the regional structure in place. This has produced relatively even geographic coverage but limited scale economies.

The Brand List vs. the Operating Reality

NH cannabis culture references “the five ATCs” because that is how the program was originally framed in legislative debate and early industry coverage. The brand-name lineup that residents will recognize is:

• Sanctuary ATC — the first NH dispensary to open (April 2016), with locations in Plymouth (Lakes Region) and Conway (White Mountains).
• Temescal Wellness — a multi-location operator with dispensaries in Lebanon (Upper Valley), Dover (Strafford County), and Keene (Cheshire County).
• Prime Alternative Treatment Centers (Prime ATC) — rebranded as GraniteLeaf Cannabis in late 2023, operating in Merrimack and Chichester, with a production facility in Peterborough.
• GraniteLeaf Cannabis — the post-2023 rebrand of Prime ATC, listed as a separate brand in some directories but the same corporate entity.
• Live Free Cannabis (sometimes referenced alongside “Solar Therapeutics”) — appears in older program guidance and aspirational language from the 2013 statute. Locations have remained to be determined in current NHDHHS rosters.

In operating reality as of April 2026, three corporate licensees run seven dispensary points: Sanctuary (2 sites), Temescal Wellness (3 sites), and the operator known as Prime ATC / GraniteLeaf Cannabis (2 dispensary sites plus a Peterborough production facility). NHDHHS lists the seven dispensary towns as Chichester, Conway, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, Merrimack, and Plymouth. The phrase “really only three operators” reflects this consolidation underneath the legacy brand names. ATC corporate names have changed multiple times in the program’s history; verify current ownership directly through NHDHHS before relying on any printed list.

NHDHHS lists the seven NH dispensary towns as Chichester, Conway, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, Merrimack, and Plymouth, operated as of April 2026 by three nonprofit corporate licensees: Sanctuary, Temescal Wellness, and Prime ATC / GraniteLeaf Cannabis.

NHDHHS — Alternative Treatment Centers

Locations at a Glance

Patient Flow at the Door

NH ATCs operate by registry card only — no walk-ins for unregistered visitors and no anonymous browsing. A patient (or visiting patient with valid out-of-state credentials under HB 1278) presents the registry ID and a matching photo ID at the door. New patients typically schedule a consultation; ATCs offer one-on-one product education either in person or by phone. Most accept cash and the CanPay debit app; credit cards are not accepted because of federal banking restrictions. Patients may purchase from any ATC anywhere in the state regardless of which one they last visited.

Why NH ATC Pricing Runs High

The combination of nonprofit-only status, mandatory vertical integration, region allocation, and a relatively small patient base produces structurally higher unit costs than for-profit dispensaries in Massachusetts or Maine. Each NH dispensary serves roughly 1,500–3,500 active patients, a fraction of MA scale. As of early 2026, eighths of flower at NH ATCs typically run $50–$70 and ounces $275–$300 — meaningfully higher than the $25–$40 eighths and $100–$200 ounces commonly seen at Massachusetts and Maine border-town dispensaries. This price gap drives a substantial portion of the cross-border dynamic detailed elsewhere on the site.

Patient Affordability Programs

Each operating ATC maintains a Patient Affordability Program typically offering 10–25% discounts for SSI/SSDI/Medicaid recipients and standing veteran discounts (often 10%). Sanctuary, Temescal, and GraniteLeaf each publish their affordability terms; ask at point of registration. ATCs also provide one-on-one consultations covering THC/CBD ratios, terpene profiles, and product types — especially important for new patients who often start CBD-dominant or low-dose THC.

Explore the TCP

Official Sources

• NHDHHS Therapeutic Cannabis Program — ATC roster
• RSA 126-X — Therapeutic Use of Cannabis (sections 7 and 8 on ATC structure)