The New Hampshire House yesterday voted 214-137 to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
"We felt the penalty was greater than the offense," said state Rep. Steve Shurtleff, a Concord Democrat and chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, which approved the bill 16-2.
The legislation would decriminalize possession of less than one-quarter ounce of marijuana. Currently, marijuana possession is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Under the bill, a person over 18 found with a small amount of marijuana would be guilty of a violation and fined $200. He would not face a criminal charge. Anyone under 18 would face the same penalties. In addition, the minor's parents would be notified and the minor would have to complete a drug-awareness program and perform community service.
Gov. John Lynch promptly vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. He said marijuana possession remains illegal under federal law.
"New Hampshire parents are struggling to keep their kids away from marijuana and other drugs," Lynch said. "We should not make the jobs of parents - or law enforcement - harder by sending a false message that some marijuana use is acceptable."
Shurtleff acknowledged that small possession offenses are often downgraded from Class A to Class B misdemeanors, which means a $1,200 fine but no jail time.
However, the criminal conviction and the stigma attached to it are too harsh, he said.
"Especially for youngsters who go through life with a conviction that may keep them out of the armed forces, positions with state or federal government," Shurtleff said. "When they get a federal grant or undergo a background check, they have to report a criminal conviction."
State Rep. Joel Winters, a Manchester Democrat, said the fact that few people are jailed for the crime shows the punishment is unreasonable.
"If people are not being sent to jail, what's the objection to changing the law to reflect the reality that incarceration is not a reasonable punishment?" he said.
Winters said marijuana is safer than alcohol because it is less addictive and a person cannot overdose on marijuana. Decriminalizing marijuana, he said, also means the police can "waste less time dealing with marijuana users and (spend) more time dealing with serious crime."
Not all of the representatives agreed with Winters.
State Rep. William Butynski, a Hinsdale Democrat, said his grandson started using marijuana and as a result "barely graduated from high school." The boy's supplier then sold him other drugs, Butynski said.
"His problems started with marijuana," Butynski said.
Butynski cited statistics from the state Department of Health and Human Services, including one from 2008 showing that 700 New Hampshire residents entered state-funded programs for marijuana treatment.
Marijuana, Butynski said, "can impair short-term memory, verbal skills, judgment, is associated with educational underachievement, motor vehicle accidents and increased use of other substances."
State Rep. Shawn Jasper, a Hudson Republican, said the legislation does not increase penalties for multiple violations.
"I don't think it's a good message," he said.
The bill also faces opposition from law enforcement. Concord police Chief Robert Barry said marijuana is a gateway drug, which can be addictive and which leads to the use of more serious drugs.
"Will (the bill) lead to hard-core drug use or other crimes to support drug addictions?" Barry said. "If it's going to be illegal, it's got to be illegal. Softening the penalty is just going to make it a slap on the wrist." (next page »)
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Comments
alcohol no problem
By taxpayer - 03/21/2010 - 9:56 amI am glad the Mr. Lynch is looking out for our well being this coming from someone who runs a state that peddles liquor on the sides of state highways and is in the gambling business.I am sure alcohol and gambling doesn't hurt anyone or NH would not provide it and profit from it's sale to the public if it did harm anyone. RIGHT?
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Let me get this straight
By shriphoot - 03/16/2010 - 12:56 amNow, I had alcoholics for parents and the mental scars remain..... I have cancer that is painful and incurable so I use, through the system, oxycodone which offers some relief from the pain (I am not yet to morphine which is the next step) Yet, I cannot smoke, legally, marijuana because it is against the law, yet I can drink all the alcohol that my body can consume because it is legal... How does any of this make sense??????
IT IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.... Do you think it has something to do with the alcoholic parents???????
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enough!!
By dScof - 03/13/2010 - 4:40 pmi've had just about enough of all these red herrings being thrown out here on the message board:
"oh what about abortion"
"oh what about alcohol"
"oh what about inhalants"
these issues are totally irrelevant to the subject at hand.
this issue is about cannabis and the effect of its illegality on the lives of NH citizens, whether the current punishments are proportionate to the supposed "crimes" related to cannabis, and whether or not the supposed "crimes" should be considered criminal acts in the first place, and Nothing Else.
it's no wonder why nothing gets done in this country; no one can stay focused on one topic for more than 5 minutes!!
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Dear Governor Lynch...
By dScof - 03/13/2010 - 4:32 pmDear Governor Lynch,
Cannabis doesn't ruin people's lives; the Justice System is what ruins people's lives.
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How about....
By Meow meow - 03/13/2010 - 9:55 amPutting some focus on the legal drugs.... Inhalants. This is a trend on the uprise with minors and it is perfectly legal. It's also cheap. It's also deadly:(
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Lifelong democrat. no more.
By KarlV1t4m4n - 03/12/2010 - 6:02 pmLifelong democrat. no more. Life Free or Die.
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Alcohol Vs. Marijuana
By Denny C - 03/12/2010 - 5:19 pmRiddle me this my friends. Can someone give me statistics on how many people were either killed or maimed by a drunk driver compared to someone who was arrested for the same thing but instead of Alcohol it was Marijuana?
Don't think you will find the same numbers. Not even close. The problem is the state government can't figure a way to tax the product with out Joe down the street selling the same thing but with no tax. I think u get the idea.
I believe Marijuana should be legalized but controlled like Alcohol is. Alcohol can also be considered a gateway to other drugs as Marijuana is considered.
Get rid of Lynch or at least have him smoke a big fat one so he can un ruffle his feathers and relax a little. Little uptight for me.
Denny C
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Pot is pretty sweet, you all
By collegestudent11 - 03/12/2010 - 2:21 pmPot is pretty sweet, you all should try it sometime. It basically makes everything more enjoyable.
I know of many lives ruined by alcohol -- not a whole lot ruined by weed. Sure, I have friends who should put down the bong and go live life a little more, but I don't know anyone who has, say, committed manslaughter while stoned.
The attitude towards marijuana is shifting in this nation and in the state of New Hampshire. It may not be decriminalized under Lynch, but I think it will happen in the next 5-10 years.
I do think that perhaps as a concession this bill should include harsher penalties to those under 18 caught with marijuana in their possession. In general, kids shouldn't be using mind-altering substances.
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Pot
By Meow meow - 03/13/2010 - 9:51 amIt's because marijuana is not socially acceptable as alcohol is. As well as morally. But the times they are a changing, high five to that. As far as I'm concerned it's morally acceptable.
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Please don't comment on subjects you know nothing about.
By dontpanicitsorganic - 03/12/2010 - 11:26 amLet me start off by saying I haven't read anyone's comments nor do I intend to. I think the biggest misconception is that pot smokers are dirty hippies or stupid teenagers. Yes, those people do exist, however, most people who smoke are functioning members of society that work 40 or more hours a week. The "Reefer Madness" opinion of marijuana is not only EXTREMELY OUTDATED but extremely UNTRUE. If you want actual facts instead of believing the so-called "facts" that the DEA currently lists on their website please watch the documentary http://www.theunionmovie.com/.
As far as I'm concerned if you get to legally get so drunk to the point that you blackout and harm someone I should be able to legally go home and smoke a joint after a long day at work. And for the morons who constantly bring up children when this debate comes up, WATCH YOUR DAMN KIDS. Kids drink alcohol don't they? And where do they get it from? Your liquor cabinets!!!
Oh, and by the way, weed doesn't have an effect on short-term memory, how you behave, etc. If people are going to act stupid they are going to act stupid - sober, drunk, or high. You may forget things that happen while smoking, it does NOT have an effect on things that happen before or after you smoke and it's been proven many a time, although you won't hear that on the DEA's website.
Let's also address the "GATEWAY" issue. Mostly everyone I know has tried "hard drugs" before marijuana. The real gateway drug is PRESCRIPTION medication, that's right, PRESCRIBED by your trusting doctor. Has anyone on this website watched Intervention???? None of those people start off smoking weed and move on to heroin. They are prescribed medication and when they can't get their hands on OC's or Vicodin anymore they turn to street drugs - meth, heroin, etc.
FACTS WILL PREVAIL.
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I'm relatively close to two people...
By LIAMD2 - 03/13/2010 - 7:20 am...that, in my opinion, are addicted to pot. They have smoked it daily for decades. They are not "right in the head" and neither can hold a steady job. Never could. Now you could say the same thing about booze and I won't disagree. I see the legalization of pot and other currently illegal drugs as a Pandora's box - an experiment. If it doesn't work out, you can't redo it. Once you legalize it, you cannot make it illegal again or you'll end up with something worse than what occurred during Prohibition.
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greedy governor
By dScof - 03/12/2010 - 8:11 amLynch just wants to keep it illegal so that he can keep getting his share of the $40,000,000,000 (that's "billion", with a "B") federal dollars wasted annually on a futile attempt to drive a single plant species to extinction...
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Ultimate can of worms
By thurbs11 - 03/11/2010 - 9:23 pmSo now our police officers are going to have to carry scales with them to determine if the amount is a crime or not. I don't use the stuff, but common sense says its either all or nothing. Lets say this bill passes...do we set limits as to how much one can grow, sell, distribute, etc. Another can of worms to occupy the legislature from tackling more pressing issues like....I don't know....THE BUDGET! The fact that this was even brought to a vote before the budget is balanced is beyond any rational thinker.
Thurbs
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erm...
By dScof - 03/13/2010 - 4:45 pmyeeahhhh....the tax revenue created from cannabis regulation could balance the budget on its own. basically it's either that or an income tax, and i don't think NH citizens will go for the latter. we could do with both the new revenue and without the wasted law enforcement dollars.
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Uh...
By Tippy Canoe - 03/11/2010 - 9:04 pmSo Dan, where does good parenting and and parental teaching of responsibility fall in this scenario of yours? Do you think 'laws' really keep you 'safe'? Or is that up to the decision of any individual regardless of 'laws'? No, no don't answer that, (really) I already know what you're thinking...
Stay on topic. Don't derail.
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Irresponsible Lawmakers in the Age of Science
By druoak01 - 03/11/2010 - 7:47 pmConsidering that during the Reagan Administration tons of cocaine were knowingly shipped into the U.S. with the help of top key political/military leaders at the time(remember the Olie North scandal regarding Panama?), do politicians really act for the best interest of those they serve? According to the 2001 statistics report by the CDC, alcohol accounted for approximately 75,766 deaths in the U.S. alone. Additionally, 2.3 million were directly related to the harmful use of excessive alcohol use. Oddly enough, not a single death or health related death has EVER resulted, EVEN from excessive use of marijuana. The entire "gateway" lie is inherently flawed due to the FACT that the vast majority of youths use EITHER alcohol or CIGARETTES before they experiment with marijuana. Let us also be clear that youths or adults would not likely be exposed to the more refined, potent drugs like heroin, cocaine, crack, LSD, Ecstacy were legal aged adults purchased LEGAL marijuana from State Licensed Facilities akin to our State Liquor Stores in the Granite State(tax free!). Individuals who abuse anything, from sex to scratch tickets do not become lazy as a result of such abuses. Theses individuals have a much more psycho-social problem going on deep with their psyche that requires professional HELP, not criminal charges and incarceration! I ask you my fellow Granite Staters, do our governing, trusted officials REALLY have our best interests at heart based on the scientific facts and reality of human nature? I ask you, who is morally criminal here? The answer is simple. We WILL vote out ANY politician that supports legislation based on irrational unscientific and morally corrupt values. I am a Proud and fortunate American Citizen who is greatful to have at our bidding, the Democratic Process to vote into legislation those laws that are TRULY benefitting and safetly of us all!
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who voted this jerk in
By yardman - 03/11/2010 - 7:44 pmi am glad to see all the people that realize what a jerk this guy is we got to vote him out who know what he will say next gate way drug.i had to get drunk before i tried smoking pot so which one is the gate way.
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BLAME?
By Lunarautumn - 03/11/2010 - 6:51 pmsome of the post i have read, shows how lazy and stupid some of us Americans have become,
Oh don`t blame the Governor.No why don`t we all just sit back and let this Beautiful country of ours turn into a communist country. The people are suppose to run this country not the other way around ,our rights are slowly being taken away from us, and most of us don`t even realize it! Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves, if they could see what has happened to this beautiful country of ours. Do any of you remember this?
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property.
Hmmm but i am being told what i can and cant do behind closed doors in my own home, and lastly hope you didn`t get to comfy in that office Governor, because you will not get re-elected you sure won`t get my vote or my family or friends votes we thought you were a man of the people but you have shown your true colors,you cant be trusted because you go back on your word,so enjoy the power while you have it next election you will be sent home and we will find someone that is truly for the people.
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Bickercat - 03/11/2010 - 6:25 pmHave we completely lost our minds in this great country of ours. It blows my mind that the leaders of this state have decided to charge a minor who is caught with a small amount of marijuana with a fine of $200, AND the minors parents are going to be notified as well. I am so glad someone is looking out for the well being of the child. But what about the child who decides to have an abortion. Are we still NOT going to notify her parents. I can only imagine how mind altering a procedure such as that would be for the CHILD! WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO NO NO, don't answer that. We already know the answer to that question.
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Lynch will veto
By DZ - 03/11/2010 - 4:12 pmOr so he says so now, didn't he also say he would veto the gay marriage bill?
Time will tell if he vetoes or not.
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Lynch....
By myturn - 03/11/2010 - 1:38 pmWhat's his problem?
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He needs to act like
By fiddlingglassblower - 03/11/2010 - 4:42 pmHe's "tough on crime". Good for the image, I guess.
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When will our govenors get with it?
By djj - 03/11/2010 - 1:19 pmFor Lynch to proclaim that there is a federal law against shows how much he knows about our constitution. When the founders created government it was "The federal government and the separate states." The federal government had 3 duties: maintain the military, maintain a monetary system (which they have given to the federal reserve...a private banking organization) and the judicial system. Everything else (including tax collection) was supposed to be done by the states. The states would then determine the amount of money that would be sent to the federal government.
This is now backwards with the IRS collecting tax and the federal government determining how much will go to the states. Our constitution has been disrespected and ignored. This is treason. We have gone from Uncle Sam to warden. The amount of people we have in prison is disgraceful. Would be nice to legalize, allow full grown adults to make their own decisions and save the court and prison expense.
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PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT...
By Tippy Canoe - 03/11/2010 - 12:51 pmSo basically, the pro-veto folks are convinced that they *need* the government to tell them what to do with their lives. And what not to do, otherwise there would be 'reefer madness'. Shame really. Live free or die, huh?
It's simple: If you're against pot, well then, don't smoke it. Just like alcohol. I would hope that these pro-veto folks have enough self-awareness to understand that in a supposed 'free' society, you have to take the personal responsibility to govern yourself, hence the reason this country was founded in the first place. The bill doesn't say that marijuana is "ok" as some like to point out. It's not advocating it's use in any way. What it does say is that you have to decide for you what's right for you. And that is what personal responsibility is all about. Just because alcohol is legal doesn't make us all lushes. This pro-veto argument doesn't hold water.
Pot laws are arbitrary laws which doesn't necessarily make them good or right, because for a time in America pot *was* perfectly legal. We didn't become a nation of stoners when it was legal.
But consider how much less your taxes *might* be if the system wasn't spending so much time and taxpayer money per year prosecuting and incarcerating people for victimless crimes. Local, State and Federal.
This is a bad case of the governor thinking he knows whats right/wrong for you more so than you do. I beg to differ.
Matter of fact, I would love to know the statistic of folks who went into rehab last year for the perfectly legal drug alcohol. Bet it's way more than pot.
Learn a little background of William Randolph Hearst's war on marijuana and ask yourself 'who benefited'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Randolph_Hearst#War_on_marijuana
Also, the Big Pharma benefits too, by making a synthetic version of naturally grown plant. Can you not see the silly irony here of 'legal vs. illegal'?
http://www.abbottgrowth-us.com/products/marinolproductinformation/0,998,...
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Tippy is correct,Read and learn the truth.
By Dave in Suncook - 03/11/2010 - 10:07 pmYes Tippy people forget,or are just ignorant, that cannabis is a plant that has been used for hundreds of centuries by all cultures(it is mentioned favorably in the Bible).Immigrants that came to this country from Europe grew it and smoked it.They could make medicines and clothing,and Dad got a little something for his pipe at night.There was never a problem for many years.
Then a man invented a HEMP GIN MACHINE which was presented on the cover of Popular Science Magazine that year,a machine that could extract the fibers from Hemp making it a direct competitor to wood pulp for paper, all Hell broke loose.
You see W.R.Hurst owned millions of acres of woodlots expressly for pulp for paper,which could be moved with his trains to his newspapers around the country.Hurst saw this new product that could produce many more tons of pulp per acre than trees, a plant that helped build the soil rather than deplete it, a plant that could have many harvests a year rather than one every 25-40 years as his woodlots needed,he saw this plant as something that could make all his investments in acreage null and void...
Well what does one of the worlds riches men do when he sees competition?
He destroys it.
Hurst did just that. He started running news articles in his papers nationwide about the EVIL WEED...A weed that made Black men look White woman in the eye...a weed that caused people to go insane...a diabolical plant that needed to be made illegal and NOW!
He then started to pay off politicians to start thinking of ways to eliminate his competition before it could gain momentum...
Thus the Cannabis TAX ACT.
This was the end of Cannabis as a well loved,needed and used plant for the masses.
The BIG PHARMA thing is just an offspring of Hursts initial attacks...What to do when your millions and billions are threatened?
Destroy the competition.
This folks is why Cannabis is now illegal,it has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH IT BEING BAD FOR YOU.Everything you think you know about Cannabis is propaganda fed to you by big business, and you eat it up like pablum to a baby.
Now add to this one of the fastest growing businesses in the US the PRISON SYSTEMS...They need inmates,Police need money that that steal from people they arrest and steal their homes cars and money..Follow the money.
Maybe some day we can overcome the power of big biz and it's corruption.
Do some research,learn the truth and quit puking out propaganda for billionairs.
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I frankly like to call it
By Tippy Canoe - 03/12/2010 - 9:14 amI frankly like to call it being willfully ignorant. I mean, even bibles use to be made from hemp. Plus the rough drafts of the Federal Constitution were even written on hemp. Hemp use to be quite a vibrant industry in the US, but since there is such a lack of folks willing to learn history, I guess they're comfortable with 'laws' & being told what they can and cannot do. Your 'rights' aren't granted to you by government, it's actually the other way around. Now they are trying to tell you what you can and cannot eat.
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Your canoe is tippy cause
By Hillbilly - 03/11/2010 - 7:13 pmYour canoe is tippy cause you are too baked!!
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Err...
By Tippy Canoe - 03/12/2010 - 8:33 amBrilliant reply, hillbilly. Really showing off your critical thinking skills there.
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Kids are stealing mother's little helpers from their parents
By ArmyVet_72 - 03/11/2010 - 12:30 pmmedicine cabinets.
Kinda wish for the old days of kids just trying marijuana, but instead their parents are killing their own children with their prescription drug abuse! Kids stealing from their parent
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Lynch is supporting a racist policy
By eyesoftheeagle - 03/11/2010 - 12:04 pmThe prohibition against cannabis began with warnings that it would "make white women want to have relations with negros" and the term marijuana was used to make people believe that only the dreaded Mexicans used it to commit crimes. Today, far more minorities are arrested and incarcerated for cannabis than Caucasians. The war on cannabis is a racist policy and has been since the beginning, and Lynch is supporting this madness. It is time we elect a Governor who does not believe in ripping families apart and wasting millions of dollars in order to support racism.
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i will agree, the War on
By dScof - 03/12/2010 - 7:55 ami will agree, the War on Drugs is a racist policy. all it has done has create an entire generation of second class citizens who are denied most of the basic rights that we enjoy just because they lit some plant matter on fire and inhaled it... the act is no different that smoking tobacco, but we don't arrest people for that because Big Tobacco has a huge lobby aimed at arresting people using their competition.
as to your point that more minorities (specifically, Latinos and Blacks) are arrested/incarcerated for this "crime", you are absolutely spot on...and this is depite the fact that the frequency of cannabis use between Blacks, Latinos, and Whites is virtually identical....IDENTICAL.
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I agree with Fiddlingglassblower, Probhibition was a disaster!
By ArmyVet_72 - 03/11/2010 - 11:40 amIt makes no sense to spend over $30,000 a year to incarcerate someone for small amounts of marijuana, no sense at all!
Look what Prohibition did, it created an underworld of gangsters, Al Capone being one of them.
Marijuana, as with Prohibition, has only done the same, we have thousands of Al Capones all over this Country selling to the Public.
Decriminalize it, or legalize it and you will put the drug lords out of business, basic economics.
Al Capone's empire built on the largest moneymaker, the sale of liquor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Al Capone (January 17, 1899 - January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.
Capone was notorious during the Prohibition Era for his control of large portions of the Chicago underworld, which provided the Outfit with an estimated US $100 million per year in revenue. This wealth was generated through all manner of illegal enterprises, such as gambling and prostitution, although the largest moneymaker was the sale of liquor.
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They dont get thrown in
By Hillbilly - 03/11/2010 - 7:18 pmThey dont get thrown in jail, it already gets pleaed to a class b mistamenor and they do not pay 2,000 in fines. All they want is the money. It is the same with every other crime. Go sit in concords courts for the day. Its like watching Monty Hall make a deal with the prosocuter. Then they head off to play 18. Its a friggin joke. With that being said, if my kid gets caught with pot well, its me that messed up along with my child. I hope the kid would have pay a hefty fine. Not only that, but look at the kids that are getting caught, they are not the future stock brokers or governers, doctors of america. Atleast not most of them. More like the next generation of sitters in their folks basement calling there buds and telling them about the realy cool bong they just bought, the problem is they are 28 years old and asking (if we are so lucky) " you wanna supersize that"?
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Didn't
By 1wildindian - 03/11/2010 - 11:23 amLet's see, Bill Clinton didn't inhale, Pat thinks marijuana advocates are naive, Gov. Lynch has a problem with youthful offenders, except his daughter who drank under age, assaults people. And Chief Barry is against decriminalization. It appears to me they consider themselves saints. Pat seems to know a heck of a lot about the local sales of marijuana for somebody who is against it. I would ask all these stalwart members of our society if they ever smoked marijuana. If they did they need to confess and face their own laws. I know Bill will lie, how about the rest self-righteous people afore mentioned?Besides, it will never be their lives that are ruined.
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gateway "drug?" ridiculous
By dScof - 03/11/2010 - 10:43 amFirst of all, cannabis is not a "drug." It's a plant that grows in the ground.
Second, calling cannabis a "gateway drug" is exactly like calling a squirt gun a "gateway weapon."
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Lynch is full of it
By dScof - 03/11/2010 - 10:39 amGovernor Lynch needs to learn that it's the people that get to tell Government what is acceptable and what isn't, not the other way around. He also needs to remember what state he is the Governor of, and that Vermont, Maine, & Massachusetts have already passed legislation legalizing medical CANNABIS (the proper term, not the racially-charged "marijuana" made up by Hearst & Co. to associate it with Mexicans and Blacks in order to scare White folks away from it...yes, i'm serious), and/or decriminalizing possession of small amounts.
Fortunately, it seems that there may be enough votes to overturn Lynch's promised veto. I encourage everyone to write to their respective State Representatives and State Senators to tell them that their constituency supports these proposed reduced penalties to free up law enforcement resources to go after persons actually causing trouble instead of busting responsible adults, jailing them and ruining their lives for non-violent "offenses."
This is Step #1 towards total legalization and regulation, let's get it done, don't let one man -the misinformed Governor- hold this state back from getting with the times.
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LIVE FREE OR DIE MY FOOT!
By jhough - 03/11/2010 - 10:28 amShall we all rally up and get Lynch out of office already?! I for one cannot WAIT until its time to vote this year! HELLO... marijuana is only a gateway drug because buying it puts one in contact with drug dealers! It's actually really beneficial for some people, and would work great for those who are in chronic pain (not to metion a lot of other medical problems). It is MUCH safer than prescription pain killers and also, oh yeah... ALCOHOL!!! As far as the teenage population goes, that's nothing a little effective parenting can't fix, but as we all know, some teenagers will want to rebel no matter what the penalty is! Time for NH to get with the times!
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Unfortunately Legalized Prescription Drugs
By ArmyVet_72 - 03/11/2010 - 11:44 amare the gateway to drug abuse, not marijuana!
Prescription drugs: legal and lethal
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3403941.ec...
Forget heroin and cocaine. The dangerous drugs claiming the lives and minds of the stars are prescription painkillers and a new class of happy pills that doctors are handing out by the million.
What finally killed Heath Ledger wasn
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Here is your chance.
By Marko - 03/11/2010 - 9:44 amContact your senate represenative (just google nh state senate) let them know your position and asked that they vote for you.
Also contact the governor's office, google that too and ask the same from him. Should they not represent you in this matter explain politely that you will not only not vote for them during election time, you will vote against them! Tell your friends to tell their friends and let your represenatives in office hear your voice.
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The biggest drug pusher of all is
By fiddlingglassblower - 03/11/2010 - 9:17 amThe State of NH. The drug of choice is alcohol, a hard drug, meaning one can become both physically as well as psychologically dependent on it. The negative consequences of alcohol addiction are severe, and well-known. It is therefore both hypocritical and self-serving for the state to continue its severe punishment of those who instead choose a drug which has far fewer negative effects. By far the most damaging effects stem from the very fact that, in this day and age it is still considered a "dangerous" drug. Nothing could be further from the truth, yet misguided folks like Pat still Kraftily try to peddle this misinformation. In an ideal world, it would simply be legalized, with restrictions similar to alcohol. But, after some 80 years of propaganda and lies about cannabis (the word "Marijuana, or the Americanized "Marihuana" was deliberately chosen, being the Mexican word, thus preying upon the rampant racism), that would be extremely difficult.
Anyone truly interested (not Pat, of course) should read
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Governor has it wrong
By RealNHGOPer - 03/11/2010 - 8:58 amThe Governor should read the US Constitution.
It doesn't matter if the Federal government says it is illegal.
Read Article 9 and 10 of the US Constitution. The STATE law overrides the Federal law on this.
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Bye Bye
By Moose6579 - 03/11/2010 - 8:40 amDon't bother running for re-election Governor Lynch. This will definitely be your last time as the Governor of New Hampshire! You seem like a nice guy, but your close mindedness on this subject just can't be had in NH anymore!! Also to Concord police chief Robert Barry, WAKE UP and open your eyes to the 21st century
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Other States
By NHParent - 03/11/2010 - 8:11 amWho cares what other states do?
NH tries hard to be different from our neighbors. We have no sales tax, fireworks sales are legal, cigarette taxes are lower -- all in an effort to attract shoppers from other states.
This is the "Live Free or Die" state, not the "Live Free in a Drug Induced Stupor" state.
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Dear NHParent:
By Dnalsi12 - 03/12/2010 - 12:48 pmPlease read this study from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1003110303.aspx
Kids are MUCH MORE LIKELY to sniff chemicals than smoke pot.
So what is the gateway for that? Probably seeing their parents getting drunk, legally, with no reprecussion. The gateway is the parents, not the drug.
It took me a long time of reading comments to this Monitor article to actually come across one against legalization. Because almost everyone is FOR legalization. You're entitled to your opinion, as is the Governor, but your opinions DO NOT trump the will of the PEOPLE.
But come August, we will see all the helicopters flying around searching for pot plants while our goverment allows ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS to cross our borders, burning through millions of gallons of jet fuel, and wasting our tax dollars and military on a relatively harmless WEED!
Does that make sense? Who died from smoking a joint? Who? Where? There is no one.
Who died because of prescription drugs (Vioxx, Oxycontin to name a few), industrial chemicals, and booze last year? Hundreds of thousands.
So what is your defense, NHParent?
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Legalization not Decriminalization
By independent - 03/11/2010 - 7:38 amGet over it and get it done.Time to abolish prohibition,and end this absurd civil war on drugs.
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look at our neighboring states
By nh_hiker - 03/11/2010 - 7:32 amMaine decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana several years ago and the Maine marijuana usage rate is slightly less than in NH. Vermont has strict laws for possession and its marijuana user rate is one of the highest in the country. I think our time and money would be better spent focusing on the dealers instead of making criminals out of our kids for possession.
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KraftyPat, it is a crime to overmedicate!
By ArmyVet_72 - 03/11/2010 - 6:55 amTake a look in your medicine cabinet and count the pills, if not yours, then your neighbor's. We are addicted to prescription drugs, period.
Unfortunately, Legalized Prescription Drugs are the gateway to drug abuse, not marijuana as you say!
Over medicating of America
http://www.chaada.org/OvermedicatingofAmerica.html
Approximately 130 million Americans swallow, inject, inhale, spray, infuse, & pat on prescribed medication every month as indicated by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Americans fill many more prescriptions than any other country.
HEALTH CHECK: Over-medicated America
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/healthy/69703517.html
AUGUSTA, Ga. - As a nation, Americans take more prescription drugs than any other place in the world. A global research group, IMS Health, reports 51 percent of insured Americans take at least one prescription drug on a regular basis. For many people they're life saving. But some don't really need to be taking prescription drugs.
Health Care in Crisis: Overmedicating America
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jul2009/db20090728_8...
In the U.S. today, doctors are too quick to prescribe drugs that their patients don't really need and often can't afford, writes Ed Wallace
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Time to veto the Governor.
By wilky - 03/11/2010 - 6:55 amOnce again the man in the corner office is going to do whatever it is he wants to. These ladies and men of the legislative body are doing the work of the PEOPLE, and this Governor is going to veto this bill if it reaches his desk. My opinion is that come November, we veto him and send him back to Hopkinton to live in his mansion on the hill. Its time that we start electing people who do the work of the people and not just themselves. To put any type of a record on young individual is amount to ruining there lives forever.
G. Wilkinson
Merrimack, NH
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Blame
By kannon19 - 03/11/2010 - 8:48 amDon't blame the governor for ruining lives forever. Marijuana use is a crime, and the young individuals know that it's against the law. It is they, with their disregard for the rules, who "ruin their lives forever". People should just not smoke pot. Then it won't matter to them what the punishment is, because they will be exempt from it.
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Citizens Legislature uses common sense.
By Gary Dickinson - 03/11/2010 - 6:55 amThe little Wannabe Politicians in the senate will look out for their own interest. They will kill the bill Mostly to protect Lynch from having to veto it. Two hundred dollar fine has the punishment fit the crime.
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