'POT DEBATE' SERIES GAVE A VOICE TO ALL

When farmer David Orde and his son, Andrew, were arrested last summer
after police found 16 marijuana plants growing on the rear deck of
their Hollis home, it triggered quite a commotion inside and outside
this bedroom community of about 7,800 residents.

While it appears the case may rise or fall on whether police were
within their rights to search the Blood Road property ­ an evidence
suppression hearing is scheduled for next month in Hillsborough
Country Superior Court ­ much of the uproar was over something much
less technical.

Specifically, whether marijuana should be illegal in the first place.

The clamor resulting from the Ordes' arrest prompted Kathleen Palmer,
a Telegraph copy editor/page designer, to suggest and begin work on
what would become "Pot Debate," a three-day series of stories that
was published Sunday, Monday and Wednesday of this week.

Among the many topics covered during the series were:

An in-depth look at the Ordes' case.

Law enforcement attitudes toward marijuana.

An examination of the marijuana-as-a-gateway-drug theory.

A review of pending legislation before the New Hampshire Legislature,
including a bill that would decriminalize possession of up to an
ounce of marijuana and another that would make it legal in certain
cases for medicinal purposes.

If one these bills sounds familiar, it should. Last year, Rep.
Jeffrey Fontas, a 21-year-old Nashua Democrat, introduced the bill
(HB 1623) that would decriminalize possession of up to 1.25 ounces of
marijuana, making it a violation subject to a $200 fine.

Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a criminal
misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in the county jail and fines
of up to $2,500, though that would be unlikely for a first offense.

An amended version of Fontas' bill made it through the House of
Representatives, 193-141, but was killed in the Senate.

This year, Rep. Steven Lindsey, D-Keene, has introduced a bill (HB
555) that would decriminalize up to an ounce of marijuana. Those
found guilty would be subject to a fine of up to $100 and forfeiture
of the drug.

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee took testimony
on the bill earlier this month but has yet to make a recommendation
to the full House.

Meanwhile, Rep. Evalyn Merrick, D-Lancaster, has filed a bill (HB
648) that would make the use of marijuana legal for anyone with a
"debilitating medical condition" if prescribed by a physician.

If approved, New Hampshire would become the 14th state in the country
­ including Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont ­ with a similar law on the books.

Given our support for similar bills in the past, we urge our Greater
Nashua delegation to give them serious consideration this session.

As we made clear last year, we do not condone the recreational use of
marijuana, nor do we believe that it should be legalized.

But we do believe that a criminal conviction is a steep price to pay
for experimenting teens when it comes time to apply for a job, a
college scholarship or to serve in the military.

We also believe that permitting the chronically ill to use marijuana
for medicinal purposes is a reasonable course of action. If you don't
agree, at least read Wednesday's front-page story about Clayton
Holton, the 23-year-old who suffers from muscular dystrophy, or view
the accompanying video on our Web site under the "Pot Debate" special section.

It may not change your mind, but it will give you a much better
understanding of what's at stake here.

[Sidebar]

KEY POINTS

BACKGROUND: The Telegraph published a three-part series this week
that examined both sides of the marijuana debate and previewed
pending legislation.

CONCLUSION: As we have in the past, we support decriminalizing
possession of a small amount of marijuana, as well as making it
available to the chronically ill with a doctor's permission.