ANTI-POT MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE LOUDER

The New Hampshire House acted wisely last week in turning back an
attempt to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Unfortunately, the
narrow margin by which HB 774 was defeated has given enough hope to
supporters that the bill is certain to return.

Backers achieved their near-victory by marketing HB 774 as one of
compassion.

"This is sensible, compassionate legislation that protects our most
vulnerable citizens," said Stuart Cooper of the New Hampshire
Marijuana Policy Initiative in a press release after the vote.

During the debate pro-pot advocates offered anecdotal tales of those
whose "debilitating medical conditions" have been eased by smoking
marijuana.

What was muddled by emotion during the debate, however, was made clear
by comments like those of Rep. Joseph Miller, D-Durham.

"Marijuana is not a real medicine which is disease specific, nor is it
a pure substance," explained the retired physician who noted that it
is often contaminated with pesticides and microbes.

It is also worth noting that despite the 1996 legalization of
medicinal marijuana in California, proponents have not been able to
produce convincing scientific evidence of their claims -- evidence that
by now should be widely accepted by the medical community if it existed.

California has also had to struggle with the criminal element drawn to
areas surrounding cannabis clubs. In November, San Francisco adopted
strick guidelines "to curb street crime around its roughly 30
dispensaries and prevent sales to nonpatients," according to the
Associated Press. Elsewhere, local jurisdictions where clubs were once
legal have changed their minds.

Then there's the even darker side of support for cannabis clubs -- the
one that advocates the complete legalization marijuana.

"Make no mistake," said Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free
American Foundation, the issue of medical marijuana "is a Trojan horse
for legalizing the drug itself and for making it available without
regard to medical science."

This was the same point made in a recent letter to the editor, which
read, in part, HB 774 "is a small and important step in the right
direction for our state and country. " He went on to punctuate his
message by saying, "we should go one step further and just say no to
drug prohibition."

Clearly, that is the wrong message for the residents of New Hampshire
who have come to understand that Nancy Reagan was right when she
launched the "Just Say No" antidrug campaign in the mid-1980s.

It is a message the New Hampshire Legislature needs to keep repeating
until the likes of New Hampshire Marijuana Policy Initiative packs up
and leaves the Granite State.