The backers of marijuana legalization think the study commission set up by legislation that's soon hitting Governor Sununu's desk will be stacked against relaxing marijuana laws.
In its original form, House Bill 215 included clear opponents of legalization, like the Association of Chiefs of Police and the Medical Society. But it also included also groups sympathetic to loosing marijuana laws, like the ACLU and the Marijuana Policy Project. But those sympathetic groups ended up getting dropped from the bill's final version.
Matt Simon is with the Marijuana Policy Project.
"We certainly want to see the state begin studying marijuana legalization, but this simply is not the way to go about it. There are no supporters of legalization on the study commission and there are several opponents, so we just don't see this as a fair discussion from day one."
The Governor took no position on the study commission bill as it was debated, but has backed bills easing New Hampshire's marijuana laws, including one decriminalizing possession up to 3/4th of an ounce on a first offense.
