Panel Backs Softer Marijuana Penalty

Concord, NH - A House subcommittee yesterday approved a bill to reduce the consequences of possessing small amounts of marijuana.

The Criminal Justice and Public Safety subcommittee voted 3-1 to reduce to a violation, punishable by a $200 fine, possession of less than one-quarter ounce of marijuana. It is not clear when the full committee will vote on the bill.

Current law makes possession of marijuana a misdemeanor, which carries a fine and criminal record upon conviction. A violation would not mean a record, Rep. David Welch, R-Kingston, said.

"Young folks who aren't always making intelligent choices could screw up their chances at a Pell Grant for college later on," under current law, he said. A quarter ounce is the equivalent of seven or eight joints, Welch said, referring to marijuana cigarettes.

The subcommittee set a lower limit than the original version of House Bill 1623, which would have decriminalized holding up to one and a quarter ounces. It also corrected a drafting error in the bill that would have removed penalties for selling small amounts of marijuana.

Rep. John Tholl, R-Whitefield, who is the Dalton police chief, voted with Welch and Rep. Ellen Nielsen, D-Claremont, for the amended bill. Tholl said possession of a quarter-ounce is "far less onerous than an ounce." He said it's not clear how far the full Criminal Justice committee, with its high percentage of retired law enforcement officers, will view the bill.

Matt Simon of the N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy said he was happy to see the bill advance. Current penalties are "unnecessarily harsh," he said.

"These representatives have taken an honest look at the facts and they've agreed to support punishments which come closer to fitting the offense." Rep. Delmar Burridge, D-Keene, opposed the bill, sponsored by Reps. Jeffrey Fontas, D-Nashua, Andres Edwards, D-Nashua, and Charles Weed, D-Keene.

Copyright: 2008 The Union Leader Corp.

Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH), Union Leader - Front Page News