MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL NOW GOING TO LYNCH

CONCORD - With House and Senate passage of a medical marijuana bill,
it is up to Gov. John Lynch to decide whether critically and
terminally ill patients will have access to the drug.

The Senate voted 14-10 and the House voted 232-108 to pass a
compromise bill version of HB 648.

Lynch said he has not reviewed the latest form of the bill, so does
not know if he will sign it.

"My concern all along has been the cultivation and distribution of
it, not its dispensation to people who need it," he said. "I'll be
looking at the bill very carefully and using that test as I review
it as to whether or not to go forward with the bill."

HB 648 sets up a system of three so-called compassion centers where
marijuana would be grown. The non-profit centers can distribute up
to two ounces of marijuana every 10 days to each patient certified
by the state and their doctor.

Patients have to be suffering debilitating or terminal illness, or
severe symptoms of chemotherapy or other treatment. Qualifying
ailments include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease
and multiple sclerosis.

Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said she thinks 150 patients would
qualify each year. After two years, two more non-profit centers
could open, she said.

Thirteen states have changed their laws to allow medical use of
marijuana, although it is still illegal under federal law.

Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, argued against the bill yesterday
during debate, saying "every act authorized by this bill ... is a
violation of federal criminal law." He said the bill wrongly allows
compassion centers to be located within 500 feet of a school.

Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Daniel Eaton of Stoddard said the bill
is the most restrictive in the country.

"Sick people should be called patients, not criminals," he said. "I
believe our friends and neighbors going through darkest most painful
hours of their lives should be afforded the same compassion and
humanity that is afforded them in 13 other states."