House passes bill to reduce marijuana penalties! Senate Judiciary Committee recommends defeating it

Last update: April 28, 2008

On April 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB 1623. This bill will eliminate the possibility of jail time for possessing less than one-quarter ounce of marijuana, reducing the penalty to a maximum fine of $200. Currently, possessing one-quarter ounce of marijuana can be punished by one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Unfortunately, the committee voted 4-0 to recommend the bill "inexpedient to legislate."
 
Despite this bad committee recommendation, the bill is not dead yet: Last month, the House of Representatives voted 193-141 to pass this sensible legislation, even though a House committee had recommended it "inexpedient to legislate." The Senate can do the same thing. So, please contact your state senator and urge him or her to listen to New Hampshire residents and overturn this committee recommendation.
 
A clear majority of New Hampshire voters favor legislation to reduce the penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, according to a recent Mason-Dixon Research poll. By a resounding 53-34 percent margin, New Hampshire voters support "a change in the law to provide for a $100 fine without jail time for those who possess an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use." Contact your state senator now and tell him or her it’s time reform New Hampshire’s draconian marijuana policy.

Manchester mayor asks state representative to resign

On March 19, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta (R) asked Rep. David Scannell (D-Manchester) to resign from his position as spokesman for the Manchester school district because he voted in favor of the bill. If you live in Manchester, please take a moment to contact Mayor Guinta and express your disappointment in him for disrespecting the integrity of the political process. No matter what one's position on marijuana sentencing reform is, in a democracy, elected officials are accountable to their constituents. It is chilling to think a state representative could lose his job because his boss disagrees with a vote on a particular bill.

Thank your representatives for voting in favor of HB 1623

In the aftermath of the House passing this sensible bill, several state leaders have criticized those who voted in favor of it.

Please take a moment to thank all of your representatives who voted in favor of HB 1623 and express your disappointment with your representatives who opposed it. Our system will automatically determine how your representatives voted and send them the appropriate letter. All you have to do is enter your zip code.

Write a letter to the editor in support of this bill

The House victory has already received significant media coverage, including stories in the Nashua Telegraph, Concord Monitor, and Union Leader. Please respond to these stories with supportive letters to the editor. Additionally, the Nashua Telegraph and Concord Monitor have editorialized in favor of the bill. Please respond to these stories with supportive letters to the editors. You can e-mail Zane@mpp.org for talking points or help with your letters. It's very important that the senators and Gov. Lynch see lots of supportive letters to the editors.

Urge your senator to introduce a medical marijuana bill next year

Sadly, not a single senator had the courage or compassion to introduce a bill this session to protect sick and dying patients who use medical marijuana with the recommendations of their doctors. Thus, unlike patients in neighboring Vermont and Maine, for at least another year, many seriously ill patients across the state will continue to face a terrible choice: either continue to suffer or risk arrest and jail.

Please send a letter to your state senator expressing your disappointment that senators failed to even consider a bill to protect their sick and dying constituents.

Medical marijuana bill narrowly fails in 2007 house vote

During the 2007 legislative session, the New Hampshire House of Representatives came closer than ever before to passing a medical marijuana bill when it defeated HB 774 by a vote of 186-177. Due to New Hampshire legislative rules, however, the bill cannot be reintroduced until the 2009 session.

You can click here for a list of how the representatives voted on the medical marijuana bill in 2007 and their contact information. Because the Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee did not recommend the legislation, a "nay" vote by the representative is actually a vote in favor of the medical marijuana bill. Please take a moment now to thank your representatives who supported this legislation. Then, contact your representatives who did not support the medical marijuana bill, and tell them that, on Election Day this year, you will remember that they opposed this sensible and compassionate bill. If you don't know who your representatives are, you can click here to find out.

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