Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
The New Hampshire House barely passed a marijuana decriminalization bill last Thursday. The bill squeaked by on a 162-161 vote, not enough to overcome a threatened veto by Gov. John Lynch (D).
New Hampshire State Capitol, Corcord (wikimedia.org)
The bill, House Bill 1526, would make possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana a civil infraction for the first and second offenses, with fines capped at $250 and $500, respectively. Subsequent offenses would be misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Current law specifies up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine for any simple marijuana possession offense.
The bill is "a measured and calculated reduction in penalties," wrote Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) in a report on the measure he wrote for the Criminal Justice Committee, which earlier approved it. It has worked well in neighboring states that have adopted it, he added.
But Gov. Lynch has promised to veto the measure if it makes it past the Senate.
"Marijuana is a controlled drug that remains illegal under federal law. New Hampshire parents are working 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," Lynch spokesman Colin Manning told the Associated Press after the vote.
Fourteen states have decriminalized marijuana possession, including New Hampshire neighbors Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut.
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Comments
"Live Free or Die", with the standard drug war exemption
The drug war is exempt from having to be in compliance with American standards of liberty and justice. Just ask the roll over and play dead courts, they'll tell ya.
"New Hampshire parents are working to keep their kids away from marijuana and other drugs". If NH allows adults to use killer alcohol (and that includes most adults who have a criminal record of abusing others while UI alcohol) while they work at that, then they can bloody well allow the same liberty to adults who prefer cannabis. Overlords like Lynch need to understand that justice isn't a game and flaming hypocrisy isn't the American way.
So, aptly namedÂ
So, aptly named Governor Lynch, what you would do to make people safe is have heavily armed men storm the family home and put people in risk of being shot. Remember that you are ultimately responsible for whatever laws you support and any laws that are found to be unnecessary and even detrimental to society and to individuals is an assault on their liberty. If you are going to make and enforce laws that take away peoples personal freedoms and liberty's then you have to justify your actions and failing that these actions become crimes. Governments can commit crimes too and for failing in their duty of care over the community so badly they are criminals. They chose to allow minority groups to be picked on and that drags these laws into the area of crimes against humanity so Governor Lynch wants to be very sure what he supports. More dictators are being called to account of late. Keep the revolution rolling.
This guy Lynch seems to be in
This guy Lynch seems to be in someone's pocket when it comes to cannabis...even the Union Leader, an extremely conservative paper, was for medical cannabis and Lynch vetoed a bill making it legal...the irony, of course, is that he is governor of a state that markets its cheaper prices for liquor and cigarettes to neighboring states like Florida markets its beaches in February...the damn fool should look to his neighbors to the east and to south to see that decrim does not cause the moral sky to fall....
Wait what? A Democrat is
Wait what? A Democrat is vetoing it? Can someone explain that? I thought it was the Republican's fault. Yet here the quoted Republican is for the bill.
Can we stop the left/right blame game now?
In reply to Wait what? A Democrat is by Anonymous55 (not verified)
There is a Repub/Dem + religious/non-religious split on this
Democrats and liberals are much more likely than conservatives or Republicans to support marijuana legalization and so are seculars compared to regular churchgoers. But none of these groups are anywhere near unanimous in their views, and criticism of the intolerance of Republicans and the religiously observant should note the many exceptions, and the prominence of libertarian conservatives in "intellectual" opposition to prohibition.
On the level of Dem pols vs. Repub pols I agree with you that they are about both equally useless, Washington State being a shining exception. The California Democratic Party was neutral in 2010 and some county Democratic organizations were in favor, so I also have to give the California Dems a bit of credit on this compared to California Repubs. But overall the gap between Democratic public opinion and Democrat pols is astonishingly large on cannabis legalization, it seems like special interests have some kind of stranglehold on Dem politicians.
In reply to Wait what? A Democrat is by Anonymous55 (not verified)
I feel that you have no
I feel that you have no interest in ending the left/right blame game. In fact that kind of seems like an impotent attempt to refuel it.
Lynch is done
Lynch is letting his personal feelings outweigh what his constituents want. He has no moral fiber or he would vote the way the people that elected him, not to send a message to his daughters. Maybe if he was a better parent they would make the right decision without having to rely on morality being legislated. He has to go against most people in the state just so his girls wont do it? What ever happened to saying... "Sit down girls. Daddy had to pass a bill today he does not agree with because he represents the PEOPLE. This wasnt about what Daddy wants, but as the PEOPLE elected me, sometimes that means I have to represent them, even if I disagree with them. It is not my job to tell them what they can and can't do, it is their job to tell ME what to do. But I can sit you girls down and tell you that even though I wont be reelected because I have done this too much to the fine people of this state that trusted me... and they wont vote me in again so I have to leave office to avoid the embarrassment.... on my way out, I am going to do the honorable thing and be a real representative of the people instead of being headstrong and stubborn."
He wont because he is a tool and a horrible parent. If he was a decent parent, he could count on the fact that no matter which way he votes, his girls would stay away from pot... but because he failed, both as a parent and a governor, he has to veto it AGAIN to keep it against the law.
I hope he gets to watch a loved one suffer at some point when pot could have helped them... maybe then he would understand it isn't about him, his daughters, or his image... it is about being kind, faithful, and responsible to those that elected him, and have to suffer daily while he legislates morality so his daughters can't do pot... and because he wants to run for President... GOD FORBID!
Polly want an anti-pot message?
Not only do these anti-drug types have the same tired, useless, counterproductive crap to say, they word it almost exactly the same every time they say it. Why don't they save some effort and just program a computer to spew it Stephen Hawking style? Or train a parrot to say it?
These people need to be voted out, ASAP. We've had enough of their destructive propaganda.
One of these days
One of these days the people of the United States will realize that their so called leaders are not making decisions based on the will of the people. When people are finally sick and tired of the do nothing, bought and paid for representatives of this country, there will be blood on the floors of the capital buildings. Power will never be relinquished by will, it always has and always will take force.
Gov Lynch you should
come smoke a little weed with me. I'll have ya singing a different tune in a hour
Its only a matter time.. and
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