To the Editor:
On Wednesday, June 1, the House considered SB 485, a bill to provide an additional $1.5 million in funding for the Granite Hammer program — an expansion of the failed War on Drugs. Among my five state representatives, only one supported the bill: Rep. Chris Herbert.
This surprises me, as Rep. Herbert has been seen in the comments section on the Union Leader website denouncing the War on Drugs. Why is he supporting it with his vote?
On January 29th, the Union Leader published an article titled “7th ‘Granite Hammer’ sweep nets 12, $22,000, guns, drugs in Manchester.” In this bust, only two of the seven whose charges were listed were actually charged with selling drugs. The remainder, presumably, were simply users. Rep. Herbert commented on this Granite Hammer article, saying, “The War on Drugs is expensive and ineffective,” and he advocated for full decriminalization of drugs, as seen in Portugal. Rep. Herbert’s vote to fund the Granite Hammer program apparently does not reflect his actual opinion.
I would like for my representative to vote his conscience on this issue, but he has not done so. Who influenced him to act in such an inconsistent way? I hope that in the future, my representative will vote for positive, constructive change instead of bending to political pressures.
Chip Spangler
Manchester, NH
Chip Spangler is a resident of central Manchester. At various times, he has worked as a computer technician, academic tutor, semi-professional musician, and paramedic.
Letters to the editor must be signed and verified. Send your topical posts to Editor Carol Robidoux at robidouxnews@gmail.com for consideration, subject line: Letter to the Editor.
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