BILL TO DECREASE POT FINES IS STALLED

Little Support From Senate, Governor

When the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to
decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, it was
the first time the legislative body approved reducing the penalty for
having pot.

But the bill is unlikely to become law. It appears to have little
support in the Senate, and Governor John Lynch has said he'd veto the
bill if it reaches his desk because it sends the wrong message to the
state's young people about the dangers of drugs.

"Our representatives in the House did the right thing for New
Hampshire - and especially for New Hampshire's young people," Matt
Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common
Sense Marijuana Policy, said last week. "It's time for the Senate to
finish the work we've started here and bring some sanity to our
marijuana sentencing policies."

The bill would make the possession of a quarter of an ounce or less
of marijuana a civil violation that would carry a maximum $200 fine,
instead of a criminal misdemeanor that may result in up to a year in
jail and fines of up to $2,500.

Though the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
recommended against passage of the law, the bill passed the full
House, 193 to 141, on March 18.

In Massachusetts, two bills are before the Legislature that would
decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and
another bill would allow the drug to be used for medical reasons.

Also, Representative Barney Frank said last week that he intends to
file a bill in the US House to legalize "small amounts" of marijuana.

Nobody was more surprised when the New Hampshire House passed the
bill than Jeffrey Fontas, the 21-year-old Democrat from Nashua who
cosponsored the legislation.

"Many people told us that it wouldn't pass, but it did. I think it
was because of the way we framed the argument. Mistakes early in
life, like a possession charge, can be devastating to the futures of
our young people," he said, adding that a single drug arrest can lead
to the loss of a college scholarship, the ability to serve in the
military, and the chance to qualify for subsidized housing and food stamps.

Representative David Welch, a Republican from Kingston and a member
of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee who voted
in favor of the bill, said it's a generational issue.

"I think if all the House members were under 30, it would be a slam dunk."

Welch, who is serving his eleventh term in the House, said he has
never used drugs, "except aspirin," and feels there are a lot more
dangerous products on the market: alcohol and cigarettes, for instance.

"I think alcohol abuse does a lot more damage. . . . Not only that,
but we tax alcohol. It's not as if it's a large amount of marijuana
we're talking about here. It's only enough to make seven or eight
cigarettes," he said. "People - young people in particular - do
stupid things, and I don't think they should be penalized for life."

Fontas said he is not disheartened by a lack of support for the bill
in the Senate.

"The so-called experts said the bill didn't have a chance in the
House, but many members voted for it after they heard what we had to
say. Who knows what might happen in the Senate if we have another
open discussion of the issue?"