Pubdate: Sat, 11 Jul 2009
Source: Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)
Copyright: 2009 Telegraph Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/885
Author: Kevin Landrigan, Staff Writer
Cited: New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy 
http://nhcommonsense.org/
Cited: Gov. John Lynch http://www.governor.nh.gov/
Referenced: Gov. Lynch's Veto Message Regarding HB 648 
http://www.governor.nh.gov/news/2009/071009.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

LYNCH VETOES BILL LEGALIZING MEDICAL POT

CONCORD - Legislative and health-care supporters seeking to legalize 
the use of medical marijuana for the chronically ill vowed to 
overcome Gov. John Lynch's veto of the bill Friday.

Lynch cited concerns with what he considered to be loose guidelines 
for cultivation and distribution in refusing to make New Hampshire 
the 14th state to allow people with a debilitating condition to use 
marijuana for relief.

Lynch, a three-term Democrat, praised lawmakers for trying to address 
his concerns but concluded the bill (HB 648) had "too many defects to 
move forward."

"I understand and empathize with the advocates for allowing medical 
marijuana use in New Hampshire. However, the fact remains that 
marijuana use for any purpose remains illegal under federal law. 
Therefore, if we are to allow its use in New Hampshire for medical 
purposes, we must ensure that we are implementing the right policy," 
Lynch said in his veto statement.

"We cannot set a lower bar for medical marijuana than we do for other 
controlled substances, and we cannot implement a law that still has 
serious flaws."

This was cold comfort to Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, who led a 
bipartisan effort in theHouse and Senate to re-craft the bill in 
hopes of getting Lynch's support.

"I am disappointed by the governor's veto," Rosenwald said in a statement.

"I believe the final version was the tightest and most precise 
medical marijuana legislation of any state."Unlike every other state 
with it, this bill would have kept patients and caregivers from being 
able to cultivate the drug that remains illegal to possess under federal law.

Instead, Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D - Lancaster, a cancer survivor, 
agreed to change her bill to restrict possession of marijuana in 
private, nonprofit compassion centers that would then dispense the 
drug to eligible patients and designated caregivers.

"Scaling back to three cultivation/distribution centers with 
mandatory criminal background checks on individuals would have 
allowed us to make sure only qualifying patients could get access to 
a safe supply of marijuana," Rosenwald continued.

Lynch recognized the legislator's hard work, but that wasn't enough 
to entice him to sign the bill into law.

"After consulting with representatives of the appropriate state 
agencies and law enforcement officials, I believe this legislation 
still has too many defects to move forward," he said.

This was one of Lynch's most detailed veto messages and appropriately 
since it will stand the stiffest test of his gubernatorial authority 
since first becoming governor in January 2005.

"There are also many inconsistencies and structural problems in the 
legislation that would greatly complicate its administration and 
would pose barriers to controls aimed at preventing the unauthorized 
use of marijuana," Lynch continued.

Matt Simon, executive director of New Hampshire Common Sense for 
Marijuana Policy, questioned if Lynch ever was open-minded on the 
subject and urged lawmakers to ignore this setback and make the bill 
become law over his opposition.

"If Governor Lynch really has 'tremendous compassion' for patients, 
and if his concerns about the bill's details are sincere, then he 
should have worked more closely with the committee that worked so 
diligently to address his concerns," Simon said.

"The legislature should be outraged by the governor's lack of 
leadership on this issue, and if legislators hear from their 
constituents in support of this bill, we may be able to gain the 
votes necessary to override this veto."

Dennis Acton is a Fremont Republican and cancer survivor who has 
appeared in commercials promoting the bill.

"I'm disappointed that Governor Lynch did not meet with patients like 
me before deciding medical marijuana users should continue to risk 
arrest and jail time to relieve their suffering," said Acton, who 
used it to treat nausea when undergoing radiation therapy in 1999.

"I'm urging my fellow Republicans who are in the Legislature to have 
the courage to stand up and override this veto."

The fight returns to the House where a two-thirds super majority is 
needed to override a Lynch veto. In June the House voted for the 
bill, 232-108, well more than necessary to override Lynch.

The anti-veto campaign is more difficult in the state Senate, where 
supporters are two votes shy of mustering the needed margin to make 
this state law.

Lynch adopted the argument that the bill had untold government costs 
and that fees could be so expensive it would allow access to 
marijuana for only the wealthiest patients.

"We applaud Governor Lynch for vetoing the medicinal marijuana bill," 
said Kevin Smith, executive director of the fiscally and socially 
conservative Cornerstone Policy Research group.

"Given the precarious situation of the new state budget, now would 
not have been the time to add additional state spending and burden 
the taxpayers even more to pay for the monitoring of marijuana use in 
the state." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake