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House considers decriminalizing marijuana

New Hampshire’s House is considering legalizing up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational use for anyone age 21 and older.

The House will vote Wednesday on a bill that proposes taxing the drug when it is sold at retail at a rate of $30 per ounce and letting people grow up to six marijuana plants in a controlled environment.

Supporters say the bill is modeled after one approved by Colorado voters last year and is similar to one Washington state voters passed. They say New Hampshire would receive millions of dollars in tax revenue under the bill.

Opponents argue marijuana is bad for people’s health, would be difficult to regulate and is illegal under federal law.

Lawmakers have considered but rejected decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use in the past, most recently last session. But decriminalization supporters were encouraged when the state – with Gov. Maggie Hassan’s backing – made it legal for the seriously ill to possess and use the drug last year. Implementing the state’s medical marijuana law is expected to take another year.

The Senate rejected a bill to decriminalize possession of up to one-quarter ounce of the drug last year and Hassan opposes decriminalization.

Legacy Comments10

People, really? I don't personally smoke pot, but hello.....isn't alcohol far worse? Um yes!!! I have smoked it in the past and drank in the past and alcohol if any should be the one banned. Our society is sooooo messed up with our thinking.

We have liquor stores on the highways, we have clinics where you can murder your unborn child, we have methadone clinics because pharmaceutical companies/physicians have "whatever" percentage of us hooked on narcotics and we can't wait to get some real gambling casinos going here but don't dare touch that weed that grows...naturally. Is it me or is something not quite right about this picture.

meanwhile liberals ban cigarettes - go figure

Well, if they are banned, a lot of convenient stores in NH are breaking the law.

Better yet, why not wait and see what problems they encounter in Colorado. Right now politicians are only seeing $$$$.

Well, it is clear that in Colorado, kids are going wild using pot and they are truly out of hand. Collie is correct, we are trying to restrict the smoke from cigarettes yet the same people support legalizing pot. Beyond that, it impairs judgment. This bill should be defeated, we have enough people who are societal misfits without adding more.

Having lived and survived the 60's it is generally apparent that the laws against pot are more based in politics from that era, than any health concerns. As prohibition taught us concerning alcohol a lesson on marijuana could be learned as well. People can always get what they want, legal or not. The creation of a criminal industry that caters to these people operates with little hindrance. In the 60's the $30 figure would have been accurate, now it is probably closer to $250.. If you could legally get it for $30 you would get an immediate drop in petty crime and then could focus on bigger issues. As long as the State doesn't peddle it on our highways like alcohol, at least we would gain tax money. It certainly isn't hard to get for today's kids, your lying to yourself if you think otherwise. Bottom line, the war on drugs has been an abject failure and drain of billions in tax dollars - for no real effect. I'll stick with JD but really why is this such an issue.

I am trying to get my head around the logic of decriminalizing Marijuana. We are told that smoking is very bad for health but yet want to condone smoking pot. We have a rotten highway safety record in N.H. and we want to enable folks to become more impaired. I most certainly hope the Governor vetoes this, if it comes to her desk. I have to wonder if the person presenting this bill is impaired, because it will serve nobody well.

Smoking is bad for your health, but it's not illegal. And driving while impaired would still be illegal. Fact is, plenty of people smoke pot in NH already and we spend an awful lot of time and money proscecuting them, and even jailing them. Has all that enforcement improved life in NH? Has it been money well-spent? Has it decreased the amount of smoking-related illness? Has it done us any good at all?

It's OK, as long as they only consider it.

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