"N.H. may OK medical use of marijuana; New governor Hassan more likely to sign bill than her predecessor was" by Norma Love | Associated Press, February 11, 2013
CONCORD, N.H. — Vetoes by former governor John Lynch stymied lawmakers’ approval of medicinal marijuana in recent years, but with the blessing of the new governor, Maggie Hassan, the state could become the 19th to legalize the use of the drug....
Wasn't Lynch a Democrat?
Senate Republican leader Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro said his position has changed over time to supporting legalizing medicinal uses....
But even with Hassan’s support, passage of a medicinal marijuana law still faces obstacles. Law enforcement agencies have concerns....
The drug has not been subjected to the rigorous scientific examination as medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate, speaking for the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
Because the same government that wants to keep it illegal won't allow it. They will allow big banks to launder drug cartel dough with immunity, but that is a different $tory.
Even if New Hampshire legalized its use, federal laws ban its use and distribution, he said.
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Looks like a "terrorist," doesn't he?
Related: Marijuana: From Maine to Mexico
Maybe now they can grow their own.
"House to vote on medical marijuana bill
New Hampshire may take a step closer to legalizing medical marijuana this week, with a House vote scheduled on a proposal that would sanction five dispensaries and allow patients or caregivers to grow up to three adult plants. An amended version of the bill restricting out-of-state patients from purchasing or growing marijuana in New Hampshire and tightening other language was overwhelmingly approved by a House committee. The New Hampshire Legislature has previously passed three medical marijuana bills, all vetoed by the former governor, John Lynch. Governor Maggie Hassan has endorsed a tightly regulated medical marijuana law but has raised concerns about this bill’s home-grow option. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow people who are sick or in chronic pain to legally buy and use marijuana for medical purposes."
Why hide the fact that the vetoes came from a Democrat?
UPDATE:
"N.H. looks to other states for input on medical marijuana" by Morgan True | Associated Press, March 03, 2013
CONCORD, N.H. — As New Hampshire again considers whether to legalize medical marijuana, neighboring states offer lessons about the complexities of implementing such a law.
The New Hampshire Legislature passed three medical marijuana bills in previous years, all vetoed by former governor John Lynch. This time, Governor Maggie Hassan’s endorsement could tip the scales. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow people who are sick or in chronic pain to legally buy and use medical marijuana, but laws vary widely.
A key concern of law enforcement officials is whether legalization would open the door for recreational users and people looking to profit from illicit distribution.
But in neighboring Vermont and Maine, where medical marijuana has been available for years, police say that has not been their experience.
In Vermont, policing medical marijuana is ‘‘one more thing we have to deal with, but it’s not overwhelming,’’ State Police Lieutenant J.P. Sinclair said.
He said he is aware of only a half-dozen cases of patients or caregivers selling excess marijuana illegally since medical uses of it were legalized in 2004. Medical marijuana busts are not tallied separately from other marijuana crimes, he said, making it difficult to give an exact figure.
Pfft!
In Maine, where medical marijuana was approved in 1999, Hallowell Police Chief Eric Nason said his department sees burglaries related to prescription opiates and other drugs, but not marijuana. His department treats a dispensary in town like any other business.
But differences among marijuana laws may make comparisons with other states irrelevant, said Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate, who opposes such legalization. In Maine, for example, possession of small amounts of marijuana for non-medical reasons is only a civil infraction, so enforcement is not a high priority, Nason said.
Crate said he sympathizes with doctors and lawmakers that want to give terminally ill patients a measure of comfort, but the list of permissible conditions in the bill is too broad.
He said New Hampshire police should not be burdened with distinguishing between medical and nonmedical users and legally and illegally grown marijuana, especially since budgets for police work are already spread thin.
Also unlike Vermont and Maine, the New Hampshire bill would allow patients with out-of-state medical marijuana cards to purchase from dispensaries.
That’s bound to create challenges of its own, said Becky DeKeuster, who operates the Hallowell dispensary and three others in Maine....
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