The NH House Health and Human Services Committee considers in Executive Session its recommendation to the entire House on HB1622, "permitting qualifying patients and registered caregivers to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic use," 2/20/2014.
Much confusion reigns regarding what, exactly, is in the original bill. And a play is made to pre-emptively mollify a cantankerous Governor Maggie Hassan, who has again threatened to veto any bill that contains a provision for patients to grow their own medicine, which, while nominally legal for them to use at the moment, won't be legally available to them at all for likely most of 2 more years. This is now Maggie's imperious line, despite having supported "home-grow" when she was a lowly state senator -- she was for it before she was against it.
Following some spirited and heartfelt defenses of actually standing for something and doing the right thing rather than merely the politically expedient "path of least resistance" thing, ultimately the committee did the right thing, and refused to consent to play 'flak jacket' for Maggie's barbaric -- yes, I said barbaric, as in torturing pain patients for fun and profit -- intransigence. If she insists it be killed -- against the increasingly demonstrable wishes of her employers -- let her kill it. No political cover. No concessions.
Dunno about you, but at the very least, I want a freshly ringing battle over this to be a major campaign issue come November. It's long past time for servant government to do what it's told and get the hell out of the way. The next governor should be put on notice right now...
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