A New Hampshire House panel has put up a stop sign on recreational use of marijuana just months after the Legislature decriminalized the drug for medical reasons. On an 11-7 vote, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee recommended killing House Bill 492. Chairman Laura Pantelakos, D-Portsmouth, said she was unwilling to support the bill at this point, preferring to see how other states fare in allowing recreational use of marijuana. "Let's see what Washington state and Colorado do," Pantelakos said. [continues 691 words]
The "Live Free or Die" state soon could become the last in New England to approve letting ailing people use marijuana to relieve their suffering. A New Hampshire House panel last week overwhelmingly, on a 14-1 vote, recommended passage for House Bill 573. The speaker's office said the full House will consider the bill later this month. "This bill is not going to turn this state into a bunch of pot heads," co-sponsor Rep. Debra DeSimone, R-Atkinson said Friday. [continues 823 words]
House lawmakers yesterday stunned law enforcers by giving initial approval to a bill legalizing the hemp industry in New Hampshire. Opponents said they would seek to overturn the House decision as soon as this afternoon, while law enforcement officials vowed to renew their fight against the bill. "I can't believe it. What a sad state of affairs," Concord Police Chief William Halacy said. "Law enforcement will continue to fight this thing." Hampton Police Chief William Wrenn said he was "disappointed" by the House action. [continues 294 words]
