Regarding your Dec. 17 editorial ("NH should legalize medical marijuana"), if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal and there would be no medical marijuana debate.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents.

The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s despite opposition from the American Medical Association.

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And then there was one.

Effective Jan. 1, New Hampshire will be the only New England state in which patients cannot receive safe, legal access to medical marijuana.

Last month, Massachusetts joined Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont and a growing number of other states by voting to protect seriously ill patients from arrest when their doctors recommend marijuana for treatment.

So much for "Live Free or Die."

As residents of New Hampshire, we've heard the motto a million times. But when we look at the states around us, and the actions they are taking to allow their residents to live more freely than we do, we start to wonder if we're losing our "live free or die" spirit.

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A new governor open to legalizing marijuana for medical purposes could boost the chances of New Hampshire joining the rest of New England in allowing such use.

"We're very optimistic about finally passing it in 2013," said Matt Simon, a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project who has pushed for such a law in New Hampshire.

A new bill to legalize marijuana for medical purposes in New Hampshire is expected to be filed this week at the State House, he said.

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CONCORD - New Hampshire stands a much better chance of legalizing medical use of marijuana than at any time in state history.

That's because for the first time, both major political parties have nominated a candidate - Republican Ovide Lamontagne, of Manchester, and Democrat Maggie Hassan, of Exeter - who embrace the change.

Three-time Libertarian candidate John Babiarz, of Grafton, likewise has endorsed New Hampshire becoming the 18th state to make marijuana available to chronically ill patients.

This stands in stark contrast to the last eight years.

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Recent Charges Tossed After Subjects Produce State Cards

Two years after Maine voters passed the medical marijuana bill, law enforcement is dealing with the complexity of the otherwise illegal substance being grown, distributed and legally used by more than 260 patients in York County and more than 2,300 people statewide.

"There is a constant tension between the medical marijuana program and the ability for law enforcement to regulate criminal activity," said Ken Albert, director of the Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services, which manages the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program.

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Some lawmakers who support liberalizing the state's marijuana laws say the recent acquittal of a Barnstead man who grew marijuana in his back yard for personal and religious use will advance their cause.

State Rep. Timothy Comerford, R-Fremont, cosponsored a bill to legalize and tax marijuana that the House killed earlier this year. He also voted for a decriminalization bill that passed the House by one vote but failed in the Senate.

The recent jury nullification case in Belknap County Superior Court will advance the conversation about decriminalizing marijuana, Comerford said. "It's going to be slow and take a long time, but I think eventually our laws are going to catch up with the public's view on this issue."

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Criminal defense attorneys predict New Hampshire jurors routinely will be told they have the right to find someone innocent even if the state proves its case because New Hampshire has passed what appears to be the nation's first "jury nullification" law.

Earlier this month, a Belknap County Superior Court jury found a Barnstead man innocent of felony drug charges after the judge instructed jurors they could decide that acquittal was "a fair result," even if the state had met the burden of proof.

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Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson spoke on campus Sept. 19 and drew many like-minded supporters in to hear his speech. Johnson, who served as the Republican Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, will be listed on the 2012 ballot in 47 states as a third-party candidate.

Johnson is known for vetoing more bills than all other governors combined, and also for vetoing a whopping 750 bills during his two terms in office. He has been coined "Governor Veto" as a result of his tendency to veto most bills that are presented to him.

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Forty years ago, the United States locked up fewer than 200 of every 100,000 Americans. Then President Nixon declared the war on drugs. Now we lock up more of our people than any other country - more even than the authoritarian regimes in Russia and China.

A war on drugs - on people, that is - is unworthy of a country that claims to be free.

Unfortunately, this outrage probably won't be discussed in Tampa or Charlotte.

The media (including Fox News) run frightening stories about Mexican cocaine cartels and marijuana gangs. Few of my colleagues stop to think that this is a consequence of the war, that decriminalization would end the violence. There are no wine "cartels" or beer "gangs." No one "smuggles" liquor. Liquor dealers are called "businesses," not gangs, and they "ship" products instead of "smuggling" them. They settle disputes with lawyers rather than guns.

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SOMERSWORTH -- As part of a nationwide operation against synthetic designer drugs, federal, state and local officials seized about five million packets of illegal materials marketed as bath salts, spice, incense or plant food last week.

More than 90 people were taken into custody and at least $36 million in cash was seized as warrants were executed in 109 communities throughout the country, including at a home in Gilford and stores in Salem and Somersworth.

As part of Operation Log Jam -- the first major effort against designer drug retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers -- federal, state and local officials have seized more than 4.8 million packets of synthetic cannabinoids, known as K2 or Spice, and 167,000 packets of bath salts, along with materials to produce more of both drugs, according to a release from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Re "Legalize the medical use of marijuana" (Monitor editorial, May 23):

While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working.

In the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life decision best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be dictating health-care decisions. It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek relief from marijuana.

Arlington, Va.

(The writer is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy.)

[end]

Writing in The New York Times last week, Gustin Reichbach, 62, made a passionate plea to legalize the medical use of the marijuana that allows him to sleep and combat the nausea caused by chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Reichbach's story was similar to those heard by New Hampshire lawmakers, who will soon vote on Senate Bill 409, legislation that would make New Hampshire the 17th state to legalize medical marijuana. The difference is, Reichbach is a sitting justice on the New York state Supreme Court.

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Policymakers, doctors and professors from across New England debated the merits and pitfalls of legalizing medical marijuana at the eighth annual Dartmouth Symposium on Substance Abuse, held on Friday in Collis Common Ground. The conference - "Medical Marijuana: Compassionate Care or Oxymoron?" - examined the controversial issue of medical marijuana in the context of a current bill facing the New Hampshire legislature.

The symposium aimed to provide an informed, scientific discussion of the topic and sought to eliminate politicized arguments, according to Seddon Savage, director of the Dartmouth Center on Addiction, Recovery and Education and the event organizer.

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CONCORD - One of the only people in the U.S. to receive marijuana from the federal government will be the featured guest of medical marijuana advocates Tuesday, as they continue to press for passage of a bill the governor has vowed to veto.

Irvin Rosenfeld is one of four patients who receive medical marijuana from the federal government as part of the Compassionate Investigative New Drug Program, a little-known initiative that was closed to new applicants in 1992.

Rosenfeld will speak at a State House press conference Tuesday alongside the sponsors of Senate Bill 409, Sen. Jim Forsythe, R-Strafford, and Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster.

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New Hampshire could be three Senate votes away from legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, but the state's law enforcement community is putting up a barrier that could prevent the effort from becoming law.

Last week, the bill won a veto-proof majority in the House, but medical marijuana proponents need three more Senate votes to overcome a veto from Gov. John Lynch, whose opposition to the bill puts him in line with police and law enforcement officials.

The Democratic governor has traditionally backed positions supported by the law enforcement community, opposing expanded gambling, a broadening of the right to use deadly force and the ability to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

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CONCORD The House voted by a wide margin Wednesday to pass a medical marijuana bill, but it still faces an uphill climb in the Senate in order to overcome a promised veto from Gov. John Lynch.

The House voted 236-96 in favor of Senate Bill 409, a margin of support sufficient to overcome a gubernatorial veto.

However, the Senate voted to pass the bill 13-11 last month, short of the three-fifths majority needed for an override.

The House vote sets up a possible replay of the last time the Legislature considered a medical marijuana bill, which was vetoed by Lynch in 2009. The House was able to override the veto, but the Senate came up three votes short. The prime sponsor of the latest legislation, Sen. Jim Forsythe, R-Strafford, said he was not giving up.

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Five officers were shot in Greenland. The much-beloved chief - just eight days from retirement - was killed. Hearts across New Hampshire suffer from this horrible tragedy.

How many more families of police officers will suddenly find themselves in mourning?

Michael Maloney is the 23rd person to die in U.S. drug law enforcement operations in 2012. Forty years, 40 million arrests. The drug war is not working. There is zero effect on the demand for drugs.

When will we say "Enough!" to the counterproductive, gut-wrenching drug war? We need a new approach.

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Most people know someone who suffers from chronic pain due to some ailment.

If there were a safe alternative to sometimes harmful prescription drugs that cause side effects to help ease suffering, would you make an effort to make sure it was available to patients?

What if the alternative treatment was marijuana?

I have been watching documentaries, reading articles and attending talks regarding medical marijuana, and am astounded by its many uses.

At a recent symposium in Boston, Rick Doblin, founder of a research group on the effects of medical marijuana, stated that statistics show more people now support medical marijuana than are against it. The most notable change is in the number who now support it because they have a friend who is ailing and could benefit from using it.

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CONCORD -- Medical marijuana returned to the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee on Tuesday, having been passed by the Senate last month.

However, Senate Bill 409 encountered familiar resistance from law enforcement officials, who doubted claims made about marijuana's medical benefits and raised concerns about crime associated with the drug.

The bill would allow patients with "debilitating medical conditions" or their caretaker to possess up to 6 ounces of marijuana or cultivate up to four plants within a locked and secured facility in a location known to law enforcement. A patient or caretaker would also be allowed to possess up to 2 ounces away from home.

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CONCORD - Supporters of legalizing the medical use of marijuana will try to garner enough votes in the state Senate today to override an expected gubernatorial veto.

"We're going to try to get a veto-proof majority," said the bill's prime sponsor, Sen. Jim Forsythe, R-Strafford, at a news conference Tuesday. "We broke the party lines this year and have at least seven Republican senators supporting it."

Gov. John Lynch vetoed a bill in 2009 to legalize medical marijuana use and threatened to veto a similar bill last year that was defeated in the Senate after passing the House.

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