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The Mellowing of Marijuana Laws
By Richard Ager on Thursday, April 24, 2008.
A new bill proposes to reduce penalties for possessing a small amount of marijuana in the state. Supporters call it more just punishment for an infraction many already commit, but opponents warn it would send the wrong message about drug use. The bill has passed the House but faces a tough time in the Senate and a veto threat from the Governor. We’ll look at current marijuana law, the new proposals and New Hampshire's attitudes around this drug.
Guests
- Matt Simon, Executive Director for the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy
- Richard Crate, Police Chief for the town of Enfield and Executive Board Member for the Police Chiefs Association of New Hampshire
We'll also hear from
- Jeff Fontas, Democratic Representative from Nashua and primary sponsor of HB 1623
- Lou D’Allesandro, Democratic State Senator from Manchester
- Richard Van Wickler, Superintendent of Cheshire County Law Enforcement and member of the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
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I e-mailed comments prior to the airing of this topic... essentially... Thank-you NHPR for airing this topic!!! Additionally, please - watch the documentary from the History Channel - "Hooked on Drugs" (You can purchase it from the History Channel website)... Marijuana didn't become "illegal" when drugs like Heroin, cocaine and opium became illegal from the "Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906/1916", it became illegal in 1937, despite opposition from the AMA, and became illegal not because it was a dangerous drug, but because, just as today we have a problem with illegal aliens/immigration, but back then there was a problem too... and the southern states DEMANDED ACTION... that action came in the form of marijuana prohibition, which it was common knowledge "Mexicans" brought marijuana over into the US as a everyday occurance... it was persons such as William Randolph Hearst with the creative know-how on how to "demonize" marijuana so as to manipulate Congress to pass the marijuana prohibition as a way of arresting and sending home illegal Mexicans... truth be told, Harry Anslinger was opposed to the whole thing, but due to an extraordinary propaganda effort, involving school boards, magazines, movies, and the PTA, marijuana became "public enemy #1, and it provided the just cause to arrest and reject the Mexican's entering our country illegally. The propagada was so effective that casual marijuana users today still suffer as "criminals", when in reality, the social harm to society is 100times less for casual marijuana use than it is for alcohol use, sniffing of glue, and abuse of presciption drugs.
Great comments, BobKat, but you're just a tad off on one thing... the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) didn't outlaw anything. It merely required that manufacturers accurately list the content of certain foods and medicines. Judge Jim Gray (Why our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do about it) says this is the only federal drug law that was ever effective -- all those cure-all elixirs containing cocaine and such disappeared from the marketplace. The Harrison Act (1914) outlawed narcotics (in an incredibly deceitful manner, to avoid the Constitution), and you're absolutely right to point out that cannabis was not included. In fact, it was a widely prescribed pharmaceutical until it was banned in 1937.
Also, I've never heard of Anslinger (the out-of-work Alcohol Prohibitionist who became head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and served 26 years) being opposed to any prohibition. Anti-immigration sentiment was a big factor, thanks in no small part to Hearst's newspapers, but DuPont (which patented nylon in 1938) also played a role in bringing about the 1937 marijuana ban.
Matt... an HONOR to have you respond to my comment... ! I meant 1914 instead of 1916, and had a "brain cramp" remembering the "Harrison Act of 1914"... thanks for clarifying. NHPR has done us all a great service airing this debate, Thank-you to NHPR!!! Unfortunately, the "fear of witchery" continues unabated! We can't even accept that HEMP can be legally grown in NH, despite the new hemp products on the store shelves... many don't even understand what the connection is between "hemp" and "marijuana"... but ironically, Matt, you mentioned DuPont, and back in the early 1930's they pretty much owned Delaware, and Hemp was corporate enemy #1... yes, you heard me clearly - DuPont owned Delaware, and prompted federal laws eventually against monopolies such as what DuPont had over a whole state. But the fact is, hemp, which is cannabis but not the type one gets high on was a danger to DuPont - think nylon vs hemp rope! Then there was henry Ford and his experiments with Diesel Engines burning hemp oil... a threat to the petroleum industry. All of this information is well documented, but beyond the comprehension of the average citizen or politician... but fact is... dictionaries prior to 1937 did not contain the word marijuana, only hemp... cannabis indica.... whereas cannabis sativa, widely prescribed by doctors for all sorts of ailments was what became "marijuana"... only the marijuana it became was a farce... an invention designed to demonize and outlaw hemp and marijuana... based on politics and corporate greed.
There is no way changing the law on marijuana will not send out the wrong message, especially to the younger generation. It is best to keep a restraint on drug use of any kind to avoid drug abuse, many people die because of drug use, marijuana included, and these deaths could be avoided if society was less tolerant of drugs. It’s a real shame that so many people now want to encourage the use of drugs…
i can understand your concern with the message this sends to kids, but i see the issue very differently, i think decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana would be better for kids in nh. let me explain... lets be honest here, marijuana is a very mild drug in comparison to alcohol, tobacco, or any of your anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, pain killer or many other prescribed medications. it is the largest black market commodity in nh. it has been used medicinally by humans for at least 10,000 years. there are countless people wasting taxpayer money in state prisons on victimless marijuana posession charges. but heres how making marijuana equivalent to alcohol (which in all fairness, alcohol is exponentially worse of a drug...) would benefit kids,
1) it would make it harder to get! having to show an id to buy something at a store is way harder than finding a dealer... when i was in high school about 8 years ago, drugs were way easier to get than alcohol.
2) it could be regulated and taxed! the money this state is losing to the black market is probably in the hundreds of millions of dollars. tax money can be allocated for drug awareness programs, or substance abuse facilities.
3) it would create a new industry in nh, providing much needed jobs and a huge boost to our state economy.
now i'm not proposing making any laws on other drugs more lax at all, i want meth, crack, and heroin all to have the severe penalties they deserve, but its time this state opens its eyes and realizes how common and harmless marijuana is and how it should be treated fairly under the law in relation to legal drugs like alcohol.
i would just like to say that i believe with marijuana being illegal that it only increases the usage. i have to say from personal experience that with things being illegal it makes teenagers want to be more rebelious to the system. also i have to say that marijuana is made out to be a big bad drug but i am willing to bet that at least 80% of our congressmen and women have smoked when they were younger.i think they should just legalize it and stop making such a big deal. prohibition happend almost 100 years ago. well were starting to go in a depression now and we need jobs so i guess we should legalize mary jane again. just my thoughts