Pubdate: Sun, 29 May 2011 Source: Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH) Copyright: 2011 Telegraph Publishing Company Contact: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/885 Author: Sarah Levesque SENATE DROPPED BALL ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA If the definition of hypocrisy is saying one thing while doing another, then the New Hampshire Senate showed the epitome of hypocrisy earlier this month when it tabled HB 442, the medical marijuana bill. With a supermajority of Republicans consisting of 19 out of 24 members, the Senate should have had plenty of power to override any governor's veto. The Republican Party has repeatedly stated that President Barack Obama's health care law is unacceptable because it puts the government between the doctor and the patient. By tabling this bill, senators chose to keep the government between the doctor and the patient by dropping the ball on the medical bill that would allow the doctors to decide what medicine works best for their patients. They should have at least had the decency to stand up for their convictions and been held accountable; instead they cowered behind the threat of Gov. John Lynch's veto. By forcing people to choose between suffering and breaking the law, you are promoting disrespect for the law and those who enforce it. The governor and all the senators who voted to table this bill should be ashamed of themselves. Sarah Levesque Wilmot - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom