Go to any medical marijuana hearing and you will hear people suffering from severe illness or injury extolling the therapeutic benefits of marijuana. But in NH you have never heard things like this. Elizabeth Woodcock is with the NH Department of Justice:
The NH attorney general’s office is willing to work with the committee and with the medical community to see if we can resolve the concerns that we have about the bill, and that’s the only thing I came to say.
The NH Chiefs of Police, meanwhile, which has led the fight against medical marijuana for years, also softened its stance. Richard Crate, Jr. said police chiefs still oppose medical marijuana, but Crate also told senators:
If you are convinced this is the path NH should take, then let’s please consider doing it legally.
According to Crate, that would include setting up medical trials and seeking a waiver from the federal government. Another opponent, The NH Medical Society, made the same suggestion. The legislature has twice passed medical marijuana to see the bills vetoed by former Governor John Lynch. Governor Hassan has said she’ll sign a tightly controlled bill, but has said she’d has concerns about letting patients grow their own marijuana plants. Hassan met with some backers of this bill before the hearing. Several testified that being able to cultivate marijuana at home remains important to them.
