Two New Hampshire lawmakers on Wednesday will discuss the details of SB 409, the medical marijuana bill they are sponsoring this year.
Sen. Jim Forsythe (R-Stafford) and Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster) will be joined in the lobby of the New Hampshire State Legislative Office Building in Concord by supporters of the bill, including Matt Simon, legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, and John Tommasi, a retired Salem police sergeant. Several patients who would benefit from medical marijuana will also attend.
| Jim Forsythe for State Senate |
| State Senator Jim Forsythe (R-Stafford) is one of the sponsors of New Hampshire’s medical marijuana bill, SB 409 |
A similar bill was approved in the New Hampshire House last year by an overwhelming vote of 221-96, but it stalled in the Senate. This year, supporters think they have enough support to pass SB 409, which would allow patients with certain qualifying conditions to use and possess up to six ounces of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.
“Patients and their supporters have been working very hard to convince the Legislature to show compassion and let seriously ill patients use the medicine they and their doctors determine is best for them,” said Matt Simon of the MPP. “Judging from the overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill, it looks like their hard work is paying off.
“New Hampshire needs to join the District of Columbia and 17 other states that allow the use of medical marijuana to treat specified conditions,” Simon said. “No one should be treated like a criminal just for trying to live a normal life.”
What: Medical Marijuana Press Conference
When: 8:45 a.m. EST, Wednesday, March 7
Where: Lobby of the Legislative Office Building, 33 North State Street, Concord, N.H.
Who: • Sen. Jim Forsythe (R-Stafford)
• Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster)
• John Tommasi, retired police sergeant from Salem P.D.,
former member of the N.H. Drug Task Force, and
professor at the University of New Hampshire and at Bentley College in Massachusetts
• Matt Simon, legislative analyst, Marijuana Policy Project
• Medical marijuana patients