MedicalNeed
New Member
Patients seeking marijua-
na to treat debilitating med-
ical conditions came a step
closer to relief yesterday,
when a House committee
recommended legalizing
medical marijuana.
The House Health, Human Services and Elder- ly Affairs Committee voted 14-3 to send the bill to the full House with a recom- mendation that it pass.
"I'm for the use of med- ical marijuana for compas- sionate reasons, but I also support it for simply fiscal reasons," said committee Chairman John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican, who said marijuana could replace expensive prescrip- tion drugs.
Both the House and Sen- ate passed bills legalizing marijuana in 2009 but could not override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch. This year, Lynch said he still has concerns about the bill, even if it gets past a skeptical Senate. The attor- ney general's office opposes the bill. The House, howev- er, appears to be in strong support.
Committee member Rep. Robert Fredette, a Hillsboro Republican, said his daugh- ter has muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atro- phy, and no drug can help her eat. Because she has no appetite, Fredette said, "she looks worse than most chil- dren in Africa who have not eaten in many moons."
Fredette said he went into the public hearing on medical marijuana planning to oppose it, because mari- juana is illegal under federal law. But he heard testimony from a woman with an ill- ness similar to his daugh- ter's, who testified that mar- ijuana helped her appetite.
"Coming out of the hear- ing, I'm a definite yes," Fre- dette said. "If it helps my daughter, I'm all for it."
Rep. James MacKay, a Concord Democrat, said he opposed the bill in the past but supports it this time. MacKay said previous ver- sions of the bill made mari- juana more accessible than this version, which would establish regulated "alterna- tive treatment centers" to distribute it. He said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Evalyn Mer- rick, a Lancaster Democrat, convinced him of the thera- peutic value of marijuana.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which is neutral on the bill, esti- mates that it would cost about $200,000 in start-up costs, though that money would be made back from patients.
Committee members who voted against the bill said they did so solely because marijuana is illegal under federal law.
"Until such time as mari- juana is taken off the federal registry as a banned sub- stance, in good conscience I can't vote for the bill," said Vice Chairman Rep. Frank Kotowski, a Hooksett Repub- lican.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: concordmonitor.com
Author: Shira Schoenberg
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: 1997-2011 Concord Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot
Website: Marijuana effort gets high approval
The House Health, Human Services and Elder- ly Affairs Committee voted 14-3 to send the bill to the full House with a recom- mendation that it pass.
"I'm for the use of med- ical marijuana for compas- sionate reasons, but I also support it for simply fiscal reasons," said committee Chairman John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican, who said marijuana could replace expensive prescrip- tion drugs.
Both the House and Sen- ate passed bills legalizing marijuana in 2009 but could not override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch. This year, Lynch said he still has concerns about the bill, even if it gets past a skeptical Senate. The attor- ney general's office opposes the bill. The House, howev- er, appears to be in strong support.
Committee member Rep. Robert Fredette, a Hillsboro Republican, said his daugh- ter has muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atro- phy, and no drug can help her eat. Because she has no appetite, Fredette said, "she looks worse than most chil- dren in Africa who have not eaten in many moons."
Fredette said he went into the public hearing on medical marijuana planning to oppose it, because mari- juana is illegal under federal law. But he heard testimony from a woman with an ill- ness similar to his daugh- ter's, who testified that mar- ijuana helped her appetite.
"Coming out of the hear- ing, I'm a definite yes," Fre- dette said. "If it helps my daughter, I'm all for it."
Rep. James MacKay, a Concord Democrat, said he opposed the bill in the past but supports it this time. MacKay said previous ver- sions of the bill made mari- juana more accessible than this version, which would establish regulated "alterna- tive treatment centers" to distribute it. He said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Evalyn Mer- rick, a Lancaster Democrat, convinced him of the thera- peutic value of marijuana.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which is neutral on the bill, esti- mates that it would cost about $200,000 in start-up costs, though that money would be made back from patients.
Committee members who voted against the bill said they did so solely because marijuana is illegal under federal law.
"Until such time as mari- juana is taken off the federal registry as a banned sub- stance, in good conscience I can't vote for the bill," said Vice Chairman Rep. Frank Kotowski, a Hooksett Repub- lican.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: concordmonitor.com
Author: Shira Schoenberg
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: 1997-2011 Concord Monitor and New Hampshire Patriot
Website: Marijuana effort gets high approval