LOCALS FROWN ON BILL TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

A proposal to decriminalize marijuana in New Hampshire is getting an
icy reception from local lawmakers and officials.

"I wouldn't support it," said Sen. Mike Downing, R-Salem.

"Will it make my job easier? No," said Salem prosecutor Robert Prince.

"Marijuana is a stepping-stone drug, so obviously, from a
law-enforcement perspective, we would be against legalizing," said
Kingston police Chief Donald Briggs.

And the list goes on.

"I'm not sure that's the kind of atmosphere we'd want to encourage in
this state," said Rep. John Gleason, R-Derry.

"If it's the same bill that I've seen before, I voted against it,"
said Rep. Anthony DiFrucia, R-Salem.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Charles Weed, D-Keene, told colleagues in
the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last week that
taking marijuana out of drug-enforcement statutes would give police
more resources to tackle violent crime.

He also said that existing laws governing marijuana use are too harsh
and lead users to being jailed with people who use or sell much more
dangerous drugs, like cocaine or heroin.

Rep. Bob Fesh, R-Derry, sits on the committee hearing the bill. He
doesn't think the proposal will get very far.

"I voted against this last term," Fesh said, adding that he doesn't
expect the bill will even make it out of committee.

But Weed, a professor of political science at Keene State College,
thinks his proposal could fare better this year than similar
proposals have in the past.

First, there's a Democratic majority this year. But, perhaps more
importantly, some members of the law-enforcement community are
speaking out in favor of it.

Police Officer Bradley Jardis, speaking on behalf of Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition, a national group that supports the legalization
of marijuana, testified that prosecuting marijuana offenders, who are
typically nonviolent, does more harm than good.

"In my experience, I've never gone to a fight call or domestic
violence call where it's only because of marijuana," he said.

But Weed - who is co-sponsoring his proposal with Republican Reps.
Steve Vaillancourt of Manchester and Paul Ingbretson of Pike - said
he realizes there are real obstacles to overcome in convincing people
that marijuana shouldn't be illegal.

"I think it's very hard to change people's minds, and I think it's
probably been 60 or 70 years that (messages about the dangers of
marijuana) were drilled into them," he said.

Weed and Ingbretson also are sponsoring bills to legalize medical
marijuana use and allow farmers to grow industrial hemp, which is not a drug.