New Hampshire marijuana decrim bill drubbed in committee
Concord Monitor - Marijuana bill drubbed in committee
The marijuana decriminalization effort at the State House appears to have gone up in smoke.The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday voted 4-0 against a bill that would decriminalize possession of one-quarter of an ounce of the drug, making it a violation rather than a misdemeanor.
The House passed the bill 193-141 last month. Gov. John Lynch immediately issued a rare veto threat, and Senate leaders announced their opposition to it.
In the House, sponsors focused their arguments on the fact that college students convicted of drug offenses can lose access to federal education assistance, a consequence they argued was too harsh. Yesterday, Sen. Deborah Reynolds said New Hampshire is the wrong place to fix that.
“It seems to me that maybe we need to be going to our congressional delegation,” Reynolds said. Meanwhile, she said, this bill would send the wrong message: “Smoke a little pot, it’s not a big deal.”
The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Jeff Fontas, held out little hope yesterday that the Senate would overturn the committee vote, saying he doesn’t know of any senators who will argue in favor of the bill on the Senate floor.
“No senator has told me that they’re wiling to do that,” said Fontas, a 21-year-old Nashua Democrat.
A quarter of an ounce equates to about eight joints. At a public hearing this week, opponents of decriminalization raised myriad issues, including how the bill jibes with laws against transporting marijuana or possessing paraphernalia. Some also raised the point that marijuana today is more potent than it was a few decades ago.
“The ’small amount’ is probably equal to a bag back in the ’60s,” said Sen. Bob Letourneau, a Derry Republican.
Once again the “Not Your 60’s Pot” myth raises it’s ugly head. It’s predicated on the idea that the more potent the pot, the more dangerous it is. It’s simply not true. Marijuana is non-toxic; smoking more potent marijuana isn’t any more likely to harm you. Marijuana is also self-titrating, which just means that users are able to immediately gauge the effects and limit intake. If you’ve got schwaggy weed, you smoke a lot of it and get high. If you’ve got the diggity dank, you smoke a little of it and get high. You could argue since you inhale less smoke from the chronic as opposed to the ditchweed, then more potent marijuana is safer.
As for Senator Reynolds’ contention that the elimination of student aid for drug convictions needs to be addressed in the federal senate, well, that’s true. New Hampshire cannot change a federal law. However, what triggers that law is an arrest for marijuana possession, and 99% of all such arrests happen at the state level, which is something New Hampshire can address.
Finally, about “the message” the bill would send: New Hampshire residents are already smoking pot and don’t see it as a big deal. The house - which directly represents the people - supported the bill. Polls show over 70% public support for marijuana decriminalization.
Tags: New Hampshire
