GOP DESERVES PRAISE FOR MEDICAL POT VOTE

I'd like to applaud the 45 Republican state representatives who
recently voted their consciences in support of HB 648 (March 26:
"House OKs medical marijuana").

Medical marijuana has been perceived as a "liberals only" issue for
far too long, and this vote was a good step forward for the GOP.

Amongst the GOP rank-and-file in New Hampshire, support for
decriminalization of medical marijuana exceeds 56 percent of
registered GOP voters. Support is even higher amongst undeclared
registered voters - more than 73 percent. It's good to see our GOP
state representatives reflect this support in Concord.

Most Republicans believe our state's policy decisions should be made
by elected officials in New Hampshire, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

Likewise, in the spirit of limiting the influence of government in
our lives, it seems to me that medical decisions should be made by
doctors and their patients, not by bureaucrats and politicians.

The evidence has become clear that for a small number of patients
with serious illnesses, marijuana may be the only thing that helps
them combat their nausea and severe pain.

HB 648 is a responsible bill that simply identifies these patients
and protects them from being arrested by state and local police. We
are not talking about California-style pot shops, just a few plants
in a few closets for the people whose doctors say they really need marijuana.

In addition to human compassion, this issue is really about restoring
constitutional rights by returning as much power to the people as possible.

If passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, this would be a
good reform for our state. Live Free or Die!

David Murotake

Nashua