Reefer Madness V2

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Gov. Chris Sununu has stated that he is against the legalization of cannabis in New Hampshire and that he will veto any bill on the subject that lands on his desk.

New Hampshire is now a “prohibition island” surrounded by states that have legalized cannabis and (more importantly) are getting significant revenue from its sale. At a meeting of the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery, Sununu said that he would veto a cannabis bill “regardless of what the language looks like.”

41QKHq0XspL. SX322 BO1204203200In fact, Sununu is so concerned about cannabis legalization that he is hiring a leading national anti-legalization advocate, Kevin Sabet, to help design a campaign strategy against any future legalization efforts. Sabet has written the book – Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana (2.5 stars on Amazon with two of the three reviews calling it propaganda.) Sabet’s book is a new variation of the ’60s Reefer Madness – the intent is to try and scare people into compliance.

Ooooooohhhhh.

But here’s the thing. Just like you can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube once it’s out, none of the legalized cannabis in other states is going to go away.

And guess what? It turns out that it wasn’t really a big deal. You don’t read daily stories about zombified weed-smokers who are cannibalizing each other and causing one traffic tie-up after another.

Instead what you are reading about are orderly lines (some stood in line for hours the first week), people sharing information (including recipes), and lots of product being sold which equates to income for the states.

Yes, states and therefore residents benefit from the sale of cannabis, by a magnitude of millions. And with no appearance of people-eating zombies! Win-win.

So be prepared to begin seeing scary ads and commercials about the “dark side of pot” sponsored by Sununu and Sabet. But do me a favor and when you see this material, read it with both eyes open.

Cannabis is just not as scary as we are led to believe (although to be perfectly honest, I still think that the idea of state-run liquor stores on the side of the highway are big-time scary.) I strongly advocate for the legalization of cannabis *along* with an educational program that teaches people how to use it responsibly. (Just like the alcohol industry has done with drinking and driving.)

If we allow the sale of tobacco (which we know kills people) and if we allow the sale of alcohol (discounted on holiday weekends!) then there really are no objections to legalizing cannabis. Especially when we put thoughtful restrictions on its purchase (age, amount, and an educational program.)

The time has come. The majority of people in New Hampshire agree. Let’s just legalize cannabis and move forward like the rest of New England.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjHOBJzhb0]


42408011 10155824290788339 6918153228123111424 nWendy E. N. Thomas is a New Hampshire State Representative for Hillsborough District 21. She is also in the NH Therapeutic Cannabis program. Thomas agrees with the statewide Democratic platform of legalizing cannabis in New Hampshire, she would also like to see the Therapeutic Cannabis program expanded to include Anxiety, Lyme Disease, and insomnia (for starters.)

She also understands that people need to know about what cannabis can do, how to keep it away from children, and how to use it responsibly (in the same way that the alcohol industry talks about responsible drinking.)

All opinions reflected in this article and any future articles on the Democratic cannabis platform are the opinions of Representative Thomas and do not reflect any company or industry.

Thomas works at Prime ATC in Merrimack as a Patient Liaison. The contents of this article are not sanctioned by Prime ATC or any of its affiliates.

About this Author

Wendy E.N. Thomas

Rep. Wendy E.N. Thomas, D-Merrimack, represents NH District 21.