NH BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

On Tuesday, March 24, the New Hampshire legislature voted in favor of
House Bill 648, which legalizes the use of marijuana for medicinal
purposes. The bill is planned to take effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

According to the bill, "modern medical research has discovered
beneficial uses for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain,
nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating
medical conditions, as found by the National Academy of Sciences'
Institute of Medicine in March 1999."

The "cardholder," or patient, must be allotted a valid identification
card in order to obtain the marijuana. To gain authorization for
registry, he or she must be diagnosed with an incapacitating medical
condition.

These conditions include a "chronic or terminal illness, severe pain
that has not responded to previously prescribed medication or surgical
measures for more than three months, severe nausea, severe vomiting,
seizures, or severe, persistent muscle spasms," according to the bill.

Timothy Horrigan, a New Hampshire Rep., voted in favor of the
legislation.

"There are many people, especially those undergoing chemotherapy, who
need the drug to combat symptoms such as nausea and lack of appetite,"
he said. "HB 648 is also very restrictive. It seems to have been
designed to allow limited personal use while discouraging the
development of a commercial market."

Each qualified patient is given a "designated caregiver" to assist
them in using the medical marijuana. The caregiver must be 21 years of
age or older, a member of the patient's family, household or a
licensed health care professional. This person is only permitted to
assist one patient and can only do so if they haven't been convicted
of a felony.

Ann-Marie Matteucci, a UNH Health Services alcohol, tobacco and drug
counselor, believes that legalizing marijuana for medicinal use could
be advantageous, but she has mixed feelings about the bill.

"I do believe people who are very, very sick do find relief from some
symptoms, and when they are terminal, I guess any side effects or long
term effects are not really of any concern," said Matteucci. "That
would be a concern that people whose symptoms are not as serious will
get it, use it, share it."

As stated in the bill, the Department of Health and Human Services
will take many precautions in reducing the fraudulent use of medical
marijuana.

The department will obtain a confidential list of every single
cardholder, and will also confirm with authorities that each patient's
registration card is valid. Any person who uses a false representation
of an identification card is punishable to a $500 fine or arrest,
depending on the circumstances.

Despite the specific statements in the bill concerning medicinal use
only, some may view HB 648 as a way to cross the threshold for
completely legalizing marijuana.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction towards relaxing the
strict laws in place towards marijuana in New Hampshire," said senior
Andrew Switzer. "The next step could be the decriminalization, which
was recently passed in Massachusetts."

Since UNH is such a liberal campus, this latest progress could only
strengthen the movement towards the eventual legalization of
marijuana, Switzer said.

Like many other available prescription drugs, such as adderall and
painkillers, the bill could increase the misuse of marijuana.

"If I understand the bill correctly, it will only allow for people
with the specific diagnosis and also for people who are considered
caretakers," said Mattuecci. "I imagine that will open up some room
for misuse, as we see with many prescription drugs."

Some students may think that this bill could make marijuana easier to
obtain for recreational purposes, but UNH administers serious
consequences for those that are caught doing so.

"The university is in a difficult position because they can lose a lot
of federal aid if they tolerate marijuana use, even legal use," said
Horrigan. "Students can be denied their financial aid if they are
caught using drugs. Otherwise, the main effect is simply the fact that
some community members have conditions which could benefit from
medical marijuana."

UNH senior Christy Pallis is in favor of the bill only because it will
be used for medicinal purposes. She said she believes people who are
truly suffering from a medical condition should use every available
resource to alleviate their pain.

Although the bill could be favorable for those suffering from chronic
and terminal illnesses, Pallis is worried this bill could have more
negative than positive effects.

"Pot is more widely used for non-medical reasons," Pallis said.
"People could start abusing it because it's legal. Because there's
more pot smoking, there's potential to have more negative effects.
It's already a problem for some people, but this could make more of a
problem."