The New Hampshire House Wednesday voted 214-137 to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, but the measure faces an uncertain future after Gov. John Lynch (D) immediately threatened to veto it. The House tally leaves supporters about 20 votes short of a veto-proof majority.
Under the bill, HB 1653, adults caught possessing or transporting up to a quarter-ounce of pot would be subject to a $400 fine. Minors caught with a quarter-ounce or less would be subject to a $200 fine and their parents would be notified. Youthful offenders would also have to complete a drug awareness program and community service within a year or face an additional $1000 fine. Under current New Hampshire law, small-time pot possession is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
The House passed a similar measure in 2008, but it died in the Senate after Gov. Lynch threatened to veto it. Last year, the House dropped decrim and instead concentrated on passing a medical marijuana dispensary bill. Lynch vetoed that. The House overrode his veto, but the Senate came up two votes short.
Lynch was back in form on Wednesday. "Marijuana is a controlled drug that remains illegal under federal law. I share the law enforcement community's concerns about proliferation of this drug," Lynch said. "In addition, New Hampshire parents are struggling to keep their kids away from marijuana and other drugs. We should not make the jobs of parents — or law enforcement — harder by sending a false message that some marijuana use is acceptable."
“This makes three years in a row that the House has passed a bill attempting to reform New Hampshire’s archaic marijuana policies,” said Matt Simon, executive director for the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, which led the lobbying fight for the bill. “Unfortunately, Gov. Lynch has continued to show little interest in learning what the House has learned about these issues.
The bill now goes to the Senate. But unless advocates can pass it overwhelmingly there and come up without another 20 or so votes in the House, it is likely to meet the same fate as the 2009 decrim bill and last year's medical marijuana bill.
Location:
Nashua, NH
United States
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heartbreaking. can he run
heartbreaking. can he run for a 4th term or is he gone after 2010?
I looked him up on
I looked him up on wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lynch_(New_Hampshire)
Typical fake liberal politician:
"On June 3, 2009, Lynch signed a same-sex marriage bill into law, despite being personally opposed to gay marriages, making New Hampshire the fifth state in the U.S. to allow such unions.[11]
Lynch has repeatedly vetoed bills to legalize medical marijuana in New Hampshire."
So making him personally opposed to something is not the same as intolerance, except for MJ.
I looked at his educational background:
"Lynch was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, the fifth of William and Margaret Lynch's six children. He attended local schools prior to earning his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center."
So much that is bad comes out of Georgetown.
I would like to know what fraternal and/or religious orders he belongs to?
Sending the Right Message
Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire is correct in thinking his veto sends a message. Unfortunately for Gov. Lynch, the actual message received by teenagers and millions of others has nothing to do with whether marijuana use is acceptable as a therapy. The facts about medical marijuana are already known by professionals and non-professionals who are far more knowledgeable about cannabis and its benefits than the governor.
A fourth veto of a medical marijuana bill by Gov. Lynch can only send a cynical message about the governor himself. People’s feelings about marijuana will not change. Governor Lynch’s veto will be construed as the act of someone ignorant of medical science and insensitive to the medical needs of his constituents. Voters will view the governor as a coward who fails to confront the entrenched bigotry and narrow mindedness fueling a morally bankrupt drug policy that creates drug war victims instead of preventing them.
As the drug war collapses under its own weight, anyone foolish enough to add to its support is likely to be crushed beneath the political debris as the house of horrors hits the ground. Politicians like Gov. Lynch would be well advised to stand clear of the drug war and forget about vetoing pro medical-marijuana bills.
Giordano
Logic
Using cannabis...how many of you Government idiots have actually used cannabis? The most pronounced effects of it’s use is a mild euphoric feeling and a brief sense of well being. We don't pass out, vomit, blackout, drool, slur our speech, become violent or stumble. Cannabis is a very social medicine also. It inspires conversation and laughter between users. Unlike alcohol users, cannabis users can read books, watch movies, appreciate art and engage in intelligent conversation...we can even recite our ABC's and walk a straight line! Now again, tell me how dangerous we are?? Here is a logical thought by someone more qualified than me:
“Our nation can acknowledge the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana while still permitting their use. The only logically and morally consistent argument for marijuana prohibition necessitates the criminalization of all harmful recreational drugs, including alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. We can agree that such an infringement on personal freedoms is as impractical as it is un-American. The time has come to accept that our nation's attitude toward marijuana has been misguided for generations and that the only rational approach to cannabis is to legalize, regulate and tax it.”
Dr. Nathan, a psychiatrist in Princeton, N.J., is a clinical assistant professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
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