OVERRIDE GOVERNOR ON MEDICAL POT BILL

Gov. John Lynch said all the right things last week for a governor in
the act of vetoing legislation that would have made New Hampshire the
14th state in the nation to legalize the use of medical marijuana by
the chronically ill.

He said he had "tremendous compassion" for individuals who believe it
helps to alleviate the symptoms and side effects of medical treatment.

He said he recognized that the bill's sponsors and members of the
conference committee "worked hard" to address his concerns.

He said "I understand and empathize" with advocates for medical
marijuana use in New Hampshire.

But there are no words, however expertly strung together, that can
alter one simple fact: The governor never had any intention of
allowing this bill to become law as long as he inhabited the corner
office.

Not in a year when his political opponents already have branded the L
word – in this case, "liberal" – on his forehead for signing the
same-sex marriage bill. Legalizing medical marijuana with his consent
just wasn't going to happen under any circumstances this session.

Given that, Lynch should have spared the House-Senate conferees from
completely overhauling this 20-page bill (HB 648) in a futile attempt
to meet each of his stated concerns. Instead, the governor chose to
play Lucy with the football; the lawmakers were Charlie Brown.

As we originally wrote in this space two weeks ago when calling on the
governor to sign the bill, supporters of this legislation bent over
backward to address the governor's many concerns.

Lawmakers stripped provisions that would have allowed seriously ill
patients or their caregivers to cultivate marijuana in private homes;
narrowed the eligibility list by tightening the definition of
"debilitating medical condition" and gave state officials the
authority to conduct criminal background checks on caregivers – and
that was just for starters.

Still, all hope is not lost. There is at least an outside chance that
both the House of Representatives and Senate will be able to muster
the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor's veto when
the two chambers reconvene.

That should prove easier in the House, where the 232-108 vote was more
than enough to reach the two-thirds threshold. In the Senate, however,
the measure was adopted on a much closer 14-10 vote, which means two
senators who voted against the bill would have to show a change of
heart.

A handful of senators who could make the difference represent voters
right here in Greater Nashua – including the only Democrat to break
from her party to vote against the bill. That would be Sen. Betsi
DeVries, of Manchester, whose district includes the town of Litchfield.

The other local senators to oppose the bill are all Republicans –
Sens. Peter Bragdon, of Milford; Sharon Carson, of Londonderry, whose
district includes Hudson; and Sheila Roberge, of Bedford, who also
represents Lyndeborough, Merrimack and Mont Vernon.

Today, we call upon our senators to show some compassion for their
less fortunate constituents – those who have the misfortune of
battling cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV or other debilitating
diseases – and vote to provide them some relief from what ails them.

This is one of those votes that should have nothing to do with whether
you are a Democrat or a Republican; a liberal or a conservative; tough
on crime or soft on crime.

No, this is one of those votes that should have everything to do with
who you are as a human being and whether you can find it in yourself
to put the political rhetoric aside and do the humanitarian thing.

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KEY POINTS

BACKGROUND: State lawmakers will reconvene later this year to try to
override the governor's veto of the medical marijuana bill.

CONCLUSION: And when they do, we urge them to do just that.