Pubdate: Mon, 17 Dec 2012
Source: Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)
Copyright: 2012 Telegraph Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/885

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL USE IN NH

And then there was one.

Effective Jan. 1, New Hampshire will be the only New England state in
which patients cannot receive safe, legal access to medical marijuana.

Last month, Massachusetts joined Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island,
Vermont and a growing number of other states by voting to protect
seriously ill patients from arrest when their doctors recommend
marijuana for treatment.

So much for "Live Free or Die."

As residents of New Hampshire, we've heard the motto a million times.
But when we look at the states around us, and the actions they are
taking to allow their residents to live more freely than we do, we
start to wonder if we're losing our "live free or die" spirit.

We wonder what it means to live in a state in which our seriously ill
cannot legally receive relief from a natural plant when recommended by
their doctor.

If you're older than 18, you don't have to wear a seat belt. If you're
a motorcycle rider, and want to feel the breeze through your hair, no
helmet is required.

We reduce cigarette taxes, better enabling our population  and our
nearby neighbors  to smoke more affordably. (Never mind that smokers
make up 20 percent of the adult population and cause $564 million in
annual health care costs.)

But if you are ill, your doctor can't prescribe marijuana, because New
Hampshire is not quite "free" enough.

We're not talking about Cheech and Chong-style smoking for fun and
silly antics. We're talking about allowing medical board certified
doctors to prescribe the medicinal usage of marijuana for patients who
physicians feel are best treated by cannabis.

Sure, marijuana has side effects like most medical treatments, but
doctors should have the opportunity to determine if the benefits
outweigh the risks, as they do with other treatments.

Advocates tried twice recently to push through medical marijuana bills
in New Hampshire  in 2009 and 2012  only to have the bills vetoed by
Gov. John Lynch.

This year, in a true bipartisan effort, the Legislature nearly had the
two-thirds support needed to override the veto, with 10 of the 19
Senate Republicans voting in favor of the bill, as well as 62 percent
of Republicans in the House.

Looking ahead at 2013, the prospect of passing a medical marijuana
bill looks brighter.

Gov.-elect Maggie Hassan voted three times in favor of the medical
marijuana bill as Senate majority leader in 2009, and in November,
residents voted in a Legislature with a more equal balance between
Republicans and Democrats.

New Hampshire is well known for its independence, but being unique by
not allowing the medicinal use of marijuana is not something we should
be proud of.

In order to protect our most seriously ill residents, we must legalize
medicinal marijuana so doctors can use it to offer relief. Our most
vulnerable residents are counting on it.

[sidebar]

KEY POINTS

BACKGROUND: The state Legislature has come close in recent years to
passing a bill that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical
purposes.

CONCLUSION: With Gov.-elect Maggie Hassan in the corner office, this
may be the year that New Hampshire gets on board with the other New
England states. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D