House Creates Team To Work Out Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on May 07, 2009 at 19:48:07 PT
By Kevin Landrigan, Staff Writer
Source: Nashua Telegraph
medical Concord, NH -- House supporters of legalizing medical marijuana for chronic or terminally ill patients slowed their campaign Wednesday after fearing Gov. John Lynch would veto the bill (HB 648) as the state Senate had passed it.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to create a team of legislative negotiators to try and work out differences between the two branches.
State Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said there's broad agreement among House and Senate supporters.
The goal of the working group, she said, would be to try and address eight specific problems Lynch and his staff identified during private meetings with House supporters earlier this week.
The most significant, Rosenwald said, was the "residential model" that would let a qualified patient or caregiver cultivate at home up to six plants or possess up to two ounces of marijuana
"His biggest issue is the lack of a centralized system to give it out," Rosenwald told her House committee Wednesday.
Lynch did not say he would have vetoed the Senate-passed bill and would not comment when asked if New Hampshire should create state-run dispensing centers for medical marijuana as now exist in California.
"I can say the current proposal as to how it would cultivated and distributed within the bill is unacceptable," Lynch told reporters.
House Speaker Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth, picked Rosenwald to serve as chairwoman of the negotiating group once the Senate, as is expected next week, agrees to the same course of action.
Rosenwald admitted it will be hard to craft an alternative manner of dispensing marijuana to Lynch's liking but rejected the notion the governor would veto it in any form.
"It has been made clear they are certainly open to working to address his concerns," Rosenwald said.
Among issues Lynch and his staff raised were whether the definition of eligible patients was too broad, if there should be criminal background checks for all caregivers and if this compels landlords to rent to patients or caregivers who grow or possess marijuana, she continued.
The bill seeks to make New Hampshire the 14th state for it to be legal for chronically or terminally ill to use marijuana.
Under the bill, a person with a "debilitating medical condition" or designated caregiver could cultivate his or her own marijuana or get it as a gift and not a for-profit sale from another, qualified patient living in a state where it's legal for patients to have it.
Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and nine of the state's 10 county attorneys oppose the bill because possessing marijuana violates federal law.
Rep. Peter Batula, R-Merrimack, warned if this bill became law it would lead to broader efforts to decriminalize it.
"I think we ought to kill it as quick as we can. I know all those on this committee have compassion on their minds, but I think adopting this sets the stage for long-term legalization for use of marijuana," Batula said
"The thing you are doing is opening up the door."
Bill at a Glance:
Bill No. HB 648
SPONSOR: State Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster.
DESCRIPTION: The bill lets patients and designated caregivers have six plants and up to two ounces of useable marijuana to help those who have a ??debilitating medical condition,? as long as it??s under the supervision of a physician. A person would cultivate his or her own marijuana or get it as a gift a not a for-profit sale from another, qualified patient. The House approved the bill in March, and the state Senate approved its version with some changes last week, including one to study an alternative way to dispense the drug to eligible patients.
STATUS: Fearing a Lynch veto, House supporters asked and convinced the House of Representatives on Wednesday on a voice vote to create a committee of House and Senate negotiators to work out a compromise. The Senate is expected to agree to that negotiating committee strategy when it meets next week.
Source: Nashua Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)
Author: Kevin Landrigan, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, May 7, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Telegraph Publishing Company
Contact: [email protected]
Website: Nashuatelegraph.com: Frontpage : News and Classifieds from Southern New Hampshire
URL: Nashuatelegraph.com: House creates team to work out pot bill
