Seriously ill patients could use marijuana for medicinal purposes under a bill that passed the Senate yesterday.

The medicinal marijuana vote came early on a highly anticipated day when senators voted on a slew of social issues. Spectators packed the gallery for much of the day, and a line snaked down the hallway in the morning. Senators voted on:

Transgender rights: Senators unanimously voted down a transgender-rights bill that opponents nicknamed the "bathroom bill."

Seatbelts: After support for a mandatory seatbelt law appeared to fall far short - an amendment failed 14-10 - senators voted to table the bill, leaving open the option of voting on it again later this year.

Death penalty: Senators essentially opted against voting on anything related to the death penalty, voting 13-11 to table a bill that called for repealing the death penalty. They did not vote on a proposed amendment that would essentially delete the repeal language and instead create a commission to study the state's death penalty law.

Medicinal marijuana passed the Senate 14-10 on a near-party-line vote. Berlin Sen. John Gallus was the only Republican to vote for it, and Manchester Sen. Betsi DeVries was the only Democrat to vote against it.

Proponents said the bill was a compassionate measure that would ease the suffering of some patients by allowing them to access a drug less dangerous and less expensive than many alternatives. Opponents said the bill would make enforcement of marijuana laws difficult, and they pointed to the opposition of law enforcement officers, including Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.

The measure applies only to patients afflicted by certain illnesses, such as cancer, or certain symptoms, such as wasting syndrome. If a doctor prescribes marijuana for such a patient, the individual could obtain a card allowing them to legally possess six plants or 2 ounces.

Under the bill, one patient could legally take seeds or plants from another - so long as money doesn't change hands - in New Hampshire or from another state.

Tilton Sen. Kathy Sgambati said the medicinal marijuana bill was a compassionate measure that would allow sick patients to access a drug that might help them.

Sgambati recounted testimony from patients, including from a mother who used marijuana to control a muscular degenerative disease, in part because legally prescribed opiates left her "out of touch with reality" and unable to look after her children.

Gov. John Lynch has expressed "concerns" about the bill, and according to those involved in passing the bill, he had called senators to make the case against it.

The governor's spokesman, Colin Manning, detailed Lynch's reservations in a statement yesterday.

"Governor Lynch remains open to the idea of allowing those who are suffering from serious illnesses to use marijuana to alleviate pain, but he has very serious reservations about this bill as written," Manning said. "Foremost, he is concerned about provisions of this bill - concerns shared by law enforcement - that would have people growing their own marijuana or obtaining it on the streets through illegal means."

A pro-medicinal-marijuana group, the Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, plans to hold a press conference tomorrow to urge the governor to back the bill. The group will air a commercial featuring a medicinal marijuana patient on WMUR.

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