THURSDAY, 08 MARCH 2012 17:55 ZACH ROSENBERG
The NH House passed a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana today. Votes were close: 162-161. The House also killed another bill (overwhelmingly, 228-89) set to legalize and regulate marijuana.
Under the bill that passed, first offenses for possession under one half-ounce will receive a $250 ticket, with second offenses at $500. Further offenses will be a $1,000 fine with a possible year of jailtime. Offenders under 21 can be ordered to do a drug awareness program. This is a pleasant change for people with marijuana in their pockets, who right now face a $2,000 fine and a year in jail.
Rep. Kyle Tasker, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, calls it "a measured and calculated reduction in penalties." Rep. Stephen Shurtleff disagrees. The former U.S. Marshall says that a half-ounce is equivalent of 20-30 joints, and though he's in favor of some form of decriminalization, "when someone is carrying around 20-30 joints they've crossed the line into distribution."
The bill will now go to the Senate. But if it passes, Governor John Lynch says he will veto it. In 2009, Lynch vetoed a bill to create three medical marijuana dispensaries that would distribute 2 ounces per 10 days to patients, and only under doctor's qualification.
The Senate has also stopped two similar bills, one in 2010 and one in 2011.
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