Editorial: Marijuana And The Judge
May 12, 2008
The Telegraph
Two young lawmakers from Nashua — Democratic Reps. Jeffrey Fontas and Andrew Edwards, along with Keene Democratic Rep. Charles Weed — introduced legislation (HB 1623) to decriminalize the possession of up to 1.25 ounces of marijuana.
Under the bill, the penalty would have been reduced to a violation and a $200 fine. Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a criminal misdemeanor that calls for up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
An amended version of that bill, lowering the amount to one-quarter of an ounce, passed the House of Representatives in mid-March, 193-141.
What we wrote: "As mentioned in our previous editorial, we do not condone the recreational use of marijuana in any quantity, nor do we believe that passage of this bill would by definition lead to the eventual legalization of pot outright. But we do believe that the criminal record that accompanies these offenses is too steep a price to pay for what many times is little more than a youthful indiscretion. (March 25.)
What happened: On May 1, the state Senate killed the bill on a voice vote, despite pleas from its sponsors to have the $200 fine apply only to those who are charged with a first offense.
Comment: Given the young ages of the Nashua sponsors — both were 19-year-old college students when elected in November 2006 — shepherding this controversial bill through the House was a remarkable achievement. | 
