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NH mayor targets marijuana sentencing reform supporter

unionleader.com — Most Americans agree penalties for small marijuana violations don't fit the crime and unfairly burden young people with criminal records. But Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta said state Rep. David Scannell's vote for marijuana policy reform makes him too immoral to be school district spokesman. What about the other 192 reps who passed this bill?

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  • headlinehound, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3740 House Republicans also voted for this bill. What was Guinta thinking?
    • JStraum, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1How old is this coot? Old school reefer madness still alive and well...
    • brundlefly76, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1I used to live in Manchester, and it is like, the pot smoking capital NH.
      I think he wants to make a toke-n protest, so that when anyone complains about drug use in his city, he can just say 'hey dont look at me I fought decriminalization!'

    • jxfallout, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1You're implying that he was actually thinking?
    • paperclipsNsoup, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1"...marijuana use is 'not a big deal.'"

      Look I pulled a FOX... and cnn, and msnbc etc etc
    • MikeXpop, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1All Guinta has been doing for the past couple months is position himself for a gubernatorial run in the fall. The Republicans who voted for the measure represent (more or less) the Libertarian sect of NH Republicans, so they're not on Guinta's radar; he's targeting the right-wing Republicans as well as the old-school Dems who are elected by values voters. Governor Lynch (Democrat) has already publicly come out against this bill, so Guinta (Republican) has to publicly denounce it even more in order to gather support.

      Of course, this is all pretty futile, considering Lynch has a huge approval rating across the state. This approval is slowly declining, but not enough so that Guinta will be able to unseat him in the upcoming election.
  • niandra, on 03/21/2008, -2/+72These laws do nothing to curb use or availability of marijuana. There is no good reason to continue this failed policy after it has long been proven (30+ years) that there is no gain for society by keeping this people criminals. Tax it, regulate it, and take a vacation out of my life!
    • NoCt1, on 03/21/2008, -2/+8dont even need to regulate or tax it. Tax it in stores yes.. but there will always be guys who can supply it. without the tax.
      • PeppermintPig, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6Agree.

        *Though New Hampshire does not have a sales tax.
      • Portwineboy, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2I'm not too sure about that. How often can you buy tobacco and alcohol and avoid the tax? Unless you live near some moonshiners...
        • darkcthulhu, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4tobacco and alcohol are not easy to grow/create.
          • Monk22, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1let any fruit sit around for a while and ferment and not long after you have alcohol. that doesnt sound to hard.
        • justz00t, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Actually its very easy to get tobacco tax free from Internet sales and from native American reservations. Alcohol can be obtained tax free from home brew kits and wine kits. I myself am a moonshiner so this is my main tax free source but I also purchase some every year on the Canadian border via duty free shops.
        • Wolflook, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Those are federal taxes, not state sales tax.
        • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2NH also has low/no tax on alcohol. Many MA folks cross over to get booze all the time.
      • feliks2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+4No, not if it turns into a commodity similar to ciggarettes, in which case I think most people wouldn't be bothered to get it from shady dealers.
        • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1I'd grow my own rather than buy it from "the man". More of a quality issue than a convenience one, really. Cigarettes are filled with additives.
  • AntonLee, on 03/21/2008, -9/+41immoral is a state of opinion. Perhaps if one day a Christian actually READ the bible they'd see that even in those times, marijuana was used. The pinnacle of morality these people are who let Priests rape their children and believe that Moses was spoken to by god. Sorry to tell ya, he was tripping when he saw the burning bush. Wake up New Hampshire.
    • Wolfpa, on 03/21/2008, -21/+8Hate Christians much?
      • Jimbob200, on 03/21/2008, -1/+19He probably just meant the doucebag ones, don't take it personally.
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -3/+3Criticism = hate? The world must be beautiful in black and white.
    • leogodin217, on 03/21/2008, -6/+13Uhh... Uhh. What does this article have to do with Christians? Also, where in the Bible is marijuana promoted? I have read the Bible and can't think of anything off the top of my head. That all being said, I fully support Scannells vote and position.
      • roho76, on 03/21/2008, -12/+8You're a suppressive idiot. If you don't like pot then don't smoke it. But you certainly should not have an opinion about something that doesn't concern you. Go live your own life and keep your opinions out of my life, thank you. By the way I don't smoke pot but I definitely can't stand people who try to stop others from doing things because they don't like it. MIND YOUR OWN ***** BUSINESS.
        • cdahlkvist, on 03/21/2008, -1/+9Interesting. You said "But you certainly should not have an opinion about something that doesn't concern you." and "By the way I don't smoke pot..."

          Pot, Kettle, you have no right to an opinion by your own admission.
        • bbqsalad, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6He said he supports the vote you silly rooster..
  • Phrag, on 03/21/2008, -3/+31Please consider writing to Mr. Scannell and thanking him for standing up for his rights and ours.
    dscannell@mansd.org
  • Wolfpa, on 03/21/2008, -2/+36Being a Catholic from NH who doesn't smoke pot, I don't see what this has to do with Christians AntonLee. It's about Failing Policies that are a waste of money especially when dealing with drugs that are no more harmful if not less harmful than legal ones(Alcohol). These policies are only in place because some people want every excuse to profile and process people as young as they can get them so that they eventually end up in our prison system or should I say industry. Further more massive powers that be, namely big Pharm cannot have pot become even close to legal when it's clearly a better method of treatment for a number of ailments that they themselves produce hundreds if not thousands of drugs for. I realize I just ended a sentence with a preposition. See, even non-pot heads have brain farts.
  • wishninja, on 03/21/2008, -1/+46If anyone has a chance to look at reality of the small town message board please notice the contrast in posts. Wow. People in that state are bizarre!

    One post jumped out at me:
    "Cheers, how I can't believe this bill passed. Smoking marijuana is like playing a game of Russian roulette. If you smoke it and it's laced with angel crack dust, you could die.

    Scannell should be put in jail for his vote. We should not allow or legislators to encourage child death. Please, Mr. Bush, come in and arrest all our legislators."
    - Reggie, Nashua

    WTF? Allot of the posts go along those lines. Just a sharp contrast to what I am used to on Digg.
    • Chassit, on 03/21/2008, -1/+16"Angel crack dust"? Wow that guy is clueless...
      • darkcthulhu, on 03/21/2008, -1/+5where can i get some of that stuff??? my devil crack dust just doesn't do it for me anymore.
        • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3This is a drug produced from the dried leavings of an angel's ass crack. It's too rare and expensive for people to be lacing pot with it just for some kind of joke/ bad intention. It's be like lacing pot with diamond dust.
    • bbqsalad, on 03/21/2008, -0/+13scary.. People like that are the majority in this country. Explains why bush was elected and re-elected. I cant wait till they die off!
      • Monk22, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2unfortunately you fail to take into account the fact they are raising their children to be exactly like them. so if your waiting for them to die off for change your gonna be disappointed
      • wishninja, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1exactly, I think digg make me feel like there are groups of people that are normal.
      • OriginalReplica, on 03/22/2008, -1/+1This is why there should be a basic competency test as part of registering to vote. Democracy only works with an informed and thoughtful voter base. As much as everyone complains about the problems in our government, the root of most of those problems is the short attention span sheep than make up most of the voting population.
        • odigity, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1Bad idea. The fact is, there is no shortcut. As with almost everything in life (careers, dieting, etc), the hard way is the only way that works - educating your peers, one at a time. Voting is an inalienable right. A test would just be used as a tool of tyranny, like poll taxes used to be.
    • icepick602, on 03/21/2008, -0/+9I kind of like the idea of George Bush sitting at his computer in the Oval Office, reading small town message boards, and responding to requests for executive intervention.

      plus i agree we need to do something about the angel crack dust epidemic
      • MikeXpop, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Small town message boards? When did a city with a population just over 100,000 become a "small town"? The Union Leader, crackpot rag it may be, has a circulation of over 70,000. It's no New York Times or Washington Post, but it's far from a "small town message board".
    • highwebl, on 03/21/2008, -1/+15"Scannell should be put in jail for his vote."

      Somebody didn't pay attention in social studies.
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+4I think the issue is that somebody didn't actually make it past 8th grade.
    • WOMPA, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6The majority of NH citizens disagree with Guinta's comments. He's planning a run for governor and just trying to get his name in the paper. The Union Leader is a conservative newspaper so you are going to see many comments that agree with Guinta's assertions. However, I must point out, that while there are several comments supporting Guinta, there are many more that oppose his viewpoint.
      • wishninja, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Oh I understand, also the comment section doesn't have a bury feature and local trolls are sure to sprout up. But I was just taken back by some of the comments is all. For anyone to even have Guinta's position would be bazaar to me but to see the level of support he was getting and what people must think of me because I smoke reefer was offensive.
    • CaptainCool53, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Angle crack dust, crystal blow meth, herojuana, if I had a nickel for every time I had something laced with them...
    • bunit03057, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3Those crazy people are what make New Hampshire great. They hate government and taxes. So I get to work at a fireworks store and not pay sales tax, all while not wearing a seatbelt in my car. There are also a lot of really intelligent non-crazy people, they just do not spend there time posting on the Union Leader website.
      • wishninja, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Thank you for your reassurance I think there is a level of crazy that people should be committed for but I think more likely, and what brings more fear to me, is that these people are being created and encouraged by the government's drug war propaganda they are seeing.
      • CaptainCool53, on 03/23/2008, -0/+1Crazy like a fox.
    • Metasquares, on 03/22/2008, -0/+2I don't even agree that marijuana should be legalized and I think those comments are dumb.
      • CaptainCool53, on 03/23/2008, -0/+1... so easy to condemn, so hard to create.
      • CaptainCool53, on 03/23/2008, -0/+1By the way, that second digg, Metasquares, was from me, and it was an accident. I meant to click bury, but I was on an iPod Touch, so the buttons were small.
  • Carv, on 03/21/2008, -0/+8Contact: http://www.manchesternh.gov/forms/MYRContactForm.a ...
  • cashman57, on 03/21/2008, -1/+26The current strategy is making bad guys rich. If every American could grow their own marijuana there would be no bad guys dealing it anymore.
    • whoomp123, on 03/21/2008, -6/+5If every American could drill their own oil there would be no bad guys selling it anymore.
      • sw33tsarin, on 03/21/2008, -2/+6That really doesn't apply here, and it's a horrible comparison.
  • tehbored, on 03/21/2008, -1/+22I love how ridiculous some people's definitions of "morality" are.
    • ivanmarsh, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3I have yet to see any opponent of marijuana explain exactly how it is immoral.
      Is drinking a beer immoral... how 'bout wine?
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Don't go there. Wine is the scourge of the nation.
  • NikoKun, on 03/21/2008, -0/+39Mayor Guinta's attitude here, proves that he unfit to be a mayor... -_-

    Since when does supporting a better policy, make someone unfit to work on the school board?
    If ANYTHING, supporting Prohibition is what makes one unfit for ANY political job of any importance.

    Prohibition is nothing but a harmful policy. It solves nothing, and only criminalizes millions of people, for no other reason, than their personal choices over their own bodies. And if that wasn't enough of a bad thing...
    It is Prohibition which is Responsible for creating the black market, drug cartels, gangs, and crime and violence, which we currently blame on Marijuana. Ending Prohibition, ends marijuana's involvement with all those things!!!

    Legalization is the better option, because then we can more properly regulate it, make it safer, reduce the harms, enforce age limits on the drug, and educate people on and encourage personal responsibility!
    We can put similar restrictions on it, like we do with Alcohol... And while those policies don't eliminate use of the drug, they DO do more good, than Prohibition, without taking our freedoms and rights to choices over ourselves.

    We can never EVER hope to achieve a drug free society... It is impossible. There has never been a drug free society in the history of man kind! And policies which try to obtain that goal, can only do harm to the people, and the freedoms we're supposed to have.
    • NikoKun, on 03/21/2008, -0/+17Oh yeah, that, and he wants to violate 1st Amendment rights to free speech (and free vote)... You simply can't hold a vote against someone.
      Imagine the corruption and other problems created, when people can't vote freely on a topic, without worrying about whether they'll lose their job for voting in such a way?
      What if employers were allowed to fire people, because they didn't vote for the company approved Candidate?

      The fact that this mayor believes the senator should lose his job as head of the school board (or whatever), PROVES he's unfit, to be mayor, for the greater good, and for upholding our constitution!

      This senator believes criminal prohibition and harsh penalties for simple pot, are excessive and harmful to the greater good. Plenty of FACT backs this up. And he isn't alone in his beliefs either.
      • odigity, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1You can hold some votes against people. For example, members of the US Congress take an Oath of Office to uphold and defend the Constitution. If they violate it, they should be held accountable I'm looking at you, you damn 99 Senators who voted for the USA PATRIOT Act!
        Of course, in a case like this one, when someone actually voted to restore liberty, they should be raised up by a crowd of people and their name cheered. Thank you Rep Scannell!
    • PopcornDave, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3I believe the key part of the article was: "I'm focusing on the school district," said Guinta, a Republican considering a run for governor."

      This is nothing more than a political stance. Chances are, this mayor wouldn't give a ***** if the senator voted for dogs wearing dresses every second Tuesday in inclement weather if he wasn't running for governor.
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2I, on the other hand, REALLY care about that issue. Have you ever heard of me? No! You haven't. You know why? I AM PERSONALLY BEING OPPRESSED BY THE MAYOR OF MANCHESTER, NH!
    • darkcthulhu, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6What you say makes way too much sense for any politicians to fathom.
  • turdblossom1, on 03/21/2008, -1/+19Lets call that guys office all day tomorrow and give him a peace of our mind
  • Winston84, on 03/21/2008, -3/+30I just love when warmongering American politicians rant about "morality" ..
  • KenSPT, on 03/21/2008, -1/+31One quote from this article caught my eye, the final one : "The organization has not taken a position on the bill, but Rourke said he thinks it sends a "dangerous" message that marijuana use is "not a big deal.""

    That is a message that should be sent, because in the grand scheme of things this country has to deal with, marijuana use is not a big deal.

    I'm not a heavy smoker. At the most I buy once a month, and smoke one to two times a week ... max. That being said, I am a staunch proponent for the legalization of the herb.

    While the phrase "safe drug" may seem like an oxymoron to some people, that is exactly what marijuana is.

    Marijuana is not a gateway drug, like many anti-cannabis activists claim. Marijuana is not a drug that you form a dependence to, unlike most other contraband on the streets. Marijuana does not do damage to the lungs, as cigarettes do. Marijuana also does not impair the physical abilities of the user, it simply slows them down, in that regard it is a relaxing drug.

    Relaxing. That is exactly what I smoke marijuana for.

    Different people get different kinds of highs. I have friends who smoke and become increasingly neurotic, I have other friends who smoke and become extremely extroverted and jovial. Personally, when I smoke marijuana, I become relaxed. It's a great feeling to not have any worries, be able to sit on your couch with friends, and for once during the week not be stressed.

    I tend to smoke marijuana on Thursday nights, after a long work week ( Friday in my office is a joke ), just for that reason. It's a good way to kick back and let the stress that I encounter in the office every week float off of my shoulders.

    I could also go into great detail about the medicinal benefits of marijuana for individuals suffering from cancer, glaucoma, arthritis, and various other afflictions ... I just don't want to make this post longer than it already is.

    I am a firm believer that at some point marijuana will become legalized, but I think right now we're dealing with a generation gap.

    The people in power now came from the "war on drugs" era, and they unfairly lump marijuana into a group with cocaine, heroin, and other drugs that are known to cause death among its users. Once people take power who are more educated on the benefits of marijuana, we'll begin to see a stronger movement towards getting it legalized. It won't happen anytime soon, but I would venture to say that I will see it happen in my lifetime.
    • feliks2, on 03/21/2008, -4/+3I agree with everything except "marijuana does not do damage to the lungs, as cigarettes do." Seriosuly that is a lie, marijuana does significantly more damage to the lungs than ciggarettes, per hit. However smokers of marijuana usually smoke much less of it than ciggarettes, so overall it does tend to be safer. That, and I believe the risks of cancer are much less with weed than with ciggarttes. Could be wrong on that one.
      • aidave, on 03/21/2008, -0/+5I disagree. Try taking a puff of a cigarette, and a puff of a joint. There is a HUGE difference, tobacco is far more harmful.

        I don't even think cannabis is harmful, if its organically grown and smoked in small amounts. Its abuse that harms.
      • ePuck, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1I am leaning towards fel's argument because while bigger particles get in the lungs (which is probably more damaging than small particles) a cigarette has a huge amount of added 'CRAP'. Marijuana is smoked in much smaller quantities than tobacco. My 2c
      • 40hands, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2You don't even need to smoke it. There are other less harmful ways.
        • KenSPT, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3Exactly. Vaporizers are becoming more and more popular, and I've always been a huge fan of making brownies and other food-stuff with dope.

          While there are studies, such as the one kevro pointed out below, that show there is no direct correlation between marijuana use and lung damage, if you're a smoker who is that nuerotic about it then there are other options available to you. Those options allow you to get the high associated with marijuana without worrying about the side effects.
    • kevro, on 03/21/2008, -0/+4Fail. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic ...
  • Etchii, on 03/21/2008, -2/+16I ***** hate people like this. The bible (jesus) says not to judge others, yet they do CONSTANTLY!!!! I bet this same person goes home and beats their kids and tells them sex is evil, to put the "fear of god" into em.




    • leogodin217, on 03/21/2008, -4/+2What does this article have to do with the Bible and Jesus? Did you read the same article I did?
      • bbqsalad, on 03/21/2008, -2/+4Jesus Christ is an evil piece of *****..
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2The Mayor is taking a stand againts MJ policy in NH based on a moral objection. Morals are intrinsically tied to religious teachings. Most American's purport to be some form of Christian. Jesus is the focus of Christianity. Jesus is the focus of The New Testament. The New Testament is part of the Bible.

        Have I made the connection for you?
  • Harboggles, on 03/21/2008, -0/+12I debated someone today on Debate.com in regards to legalization of drugs...
    If this woman is any indicator of the rest of society, marijuana is still associated with gangbangers, mexicans, and being stupid.
    I wish the government would fund and permit studies on all drugs so everyone can make logical decisions...
    • perkoff, on 03/21/2008, -4/+1Well the weed does come from Mexico and someon has to bring it in. If it were legal there would be no crimes associated with it. Well I guess the occasional loser trying to steal a pack of joints from the store I guess. I guess the person you were debating prefers Mexicans and gangbangers to make a profit off of it.
      • revjustin2, on 03/21/2008, -2/+2What the ***** is wrong with you? You are putting Mexicans (by the way - that term means "someone from the very large country of Mexico") in the same category as gangbangers? That's like saying Norwegians and crack ho's are the same. Fool. You made an attempt to be reasonable, but you FAILED!
  • dgoddard, on 03/21/2008, -0/+8http://nhcommonsense.org

    Help them fight the good fight against bad politicians!
  • thehuffer, on 03/21/2008, -3/+12Marijuana...it's an herb or weed, not a drug. An unprocessed product of nature unlike alcohol, heroin, LSD, X, hash (a mary-derivative), cocaine, crack, or opium (kind of like the hashish of poppy seeds), it is continually misrepresented for the gains of politicians all across the United States.
    Oddly enough very few people point out that it has fewer and less distracting/traumatic effects on its' users than most prescribed medicines that are suppose to make you "better".
    Whether it's legalized or decriminalized doesn't matter. Any moonshiner can tell you how effective laws controlling manufacture and distribution have been. Don't bother looking for them on the weekend though, they'll all be busy racin'!
    I'd write more but I just saw a chicken I need to catch.
    Later!
    • aidave, on 03/21/2008, -0/+6Please dont lump LSD in there with crack.
  • weside, on 03/21/2008, -11/+3"Most Americans agree penalties for small marijuana violations don't fit the crime and unfairly burden young people with criminal records."
    I'm for more stiffer penalties for violations. I think we're too light on it, which is why it's illegality is taken as seriously as speeding or jaywalking.
    • Tritis, on 03/21/2008, -1/+6No one dies from smoking pot, but plenty of people die from car accidents.
    • perkoff, on 03/21/2008, -1/+6I think we should put all morons in jail. Being a moron is far worse than smoking some marijuana.
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      …………,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;-,,_……
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    • MattB123, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3Let's outlaw booze and tobacco too, but make those the stiffest penalties since they are more dangerous (death?). Might as well be consistent and fair.
    • warsql, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3Where is the victim? Shouldn't crimes have victims?
    • aidave, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1Stiffer penalties? They are already fascist. You lose your right to vote, get put in jail. What the ***** more do you want? Concentration camps for pot smokers?
      • weside, on 03/21/2008, -3/+2Mandatory jail time instead of slaps on the wrist.
  • ZWarren69, on 03/21/2008, -1/+6Me thinks Frank should shut his ***** mouth.
  • Tritis, on 03/21/2008, -0/+5There is such a large amount of drugs available in the US that even with massive drug busts, the price of drugs on the street does not increase. If you can take 2 tons of cocaine off the market without increasing the price, you are doing nothing but wasting money attempting to curb supply.
  • hidromatic, on 03/21/2008, -0/+8by cashman57 13 hours ago
    "The current strategy is making bad guys rich. If every American could grow their own marijuana there would be no bad guys dealing it anymore."
  • MrZaiko, on 03/21/2008, -0/+12/Slightly out of subject.
    Dont you guys love that comercial of that girl's Dog that starts giving her a lecture about weed? I would smoke too if i had a talking dog, maybe share some nice stories with him.
    • AmonAmarth, on 03/21/2008, -0/+8I'm so sick of seeing anti-marijuana advertising. Have you ever seen the one with the girl whose looking at a picture on her cellphone, and she says something like, "zomg, I can't believe I did that last night. I was so high!" yeah right. Sorry, but that's not how the green works. I've never made a regrettable decision while smoking. I've never died while smoking. Most importantly though, I've never smoked and then told myself afterward that I shouldn't have.
  • Sneakernets, on 03/21/2008, -2/+11I'm so glad The mayor of Manchester is out for our protection against evil plants.

  • roho76, on 03/21/2008, -2/+6"Live free or not"
  • Shaman760, on 03/21/2008, -1/+7They should recall the mayor. Show him what "Live free or die" means. At least "the will of the people"...
  • kurtwinter, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4I feel that anyone who voted for war in Iraq is too immoral to have any official post.
  • bbqsalad, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3This guy should be put out of his misery.
  • AmonAmarth, on 03/21/2008, -1/+10I'm an adult, and I have the right to make decisions concerning my own body. By puffing a joint, am I harming anyone else besides myself, potentially? No.
    I can understand why some would still have it illegal, but the fact here is, marijuana at this stage is a social stigma. We all know in reality it's harmless, especially when compared to something that can be much more problematic such as alcohol or hard drugs.
  • employeeno5, on 03/21/2008, -1/+8I live in Manchester, the city this is taking place in.
    The Mayor is the definition of a douche bag. This is a guy who supported Guliani, if that helps give you an idea of the kind of politician this guy is. This is a guy who ran a successful campaign on cleaning up our "increase in crime." However, there was no actual increase in crime, only an increase foreigners and dark skinned people in a city that has always been predominantly white. In fact the crime rate was holding flat at all time lows after the tenure of a Democratic Mayor.
    There were a couple high profile crimes in the past couple years (like the tragic murder of a Police officer), but statistics show that crime (especially violent crimes) has stayed consistently low.
    I'm hoping this marijuana support issue will help expose to more voters that he is a partisan, neo-con nut-job (he likes to brand himself as independent conservative and most NH conservatives are of a more libertarian persuasion) but I'm afraid that most people won't even notice and of those who do too many will side for him.
    • Iconoclast25, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2"This is a guy who supported Guliani, if that helps give you an idea of the kind of politician this guy is."

      Not particularly conservative if he supported RINO rudy (and yes, I'm a live-long NH conservative - and don't give a damn about marijuana).
  • ATLien74, on 03/21/2008, -1/+8Just let me smoke my weed and mind my own business without fear of going to jail for something that has nothing to do with you, and is not hurting you in any way.
  • blindhammer, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4Pot laws aren't about morality, they are about economics.
  • zbakyeah, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1I don't see what the problem is here. Pot is pot. This isn't the 60's any longer people don't give away pot laced with LSD or angel dust anymore. If you're getting that your paying for it, bottom line. As for legalization of pot we can dream, but unfortunately it seems it is just that...a dream.
    • sqwirl, on 03/21/2008, -0/+212 states have legalized medicinal marijuana. Progress is being made.
  • Boben, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2I hate Guinta. He cut my school's budget a ton
  • Brundy, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4At least Guinta made his use of the word "logic" conditional.

    "He interacts with kids on a daily basis, and he is taking a position to decriminalize marijuana. That is counter to logic, in my view."

    So at least now we know it's not really "logic" at all, but the utterance of some knuckle-dragger who continues to blabber about "sending the right message to the children".
  • laserblazer, on 03/21/2008, -0/+5Marijuana criminalization only serves to support the black market. Politicians who support prohibition are directly supporting the black market. They should pay for that decision.
  • spun, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3this is ***** stupid. when are these bastards going to grow up?
  • Rizzob23, on 03/21/2008, -1/+2The prohibitionists are slowly losing ground. They won't go quietly into the night. They will retire kicking and screaming and flailing, never recognizing the will of the people.
  • accelleron, on 03/21/2008, -1/+3The message put out by this is simple enough:
    "Vote Yes on Marijuana, and you'll never work again."
    • laserblazer, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2A form of terrorism, I dare say.
  • glock22ownr, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2"Scannell insisted he will not resign, saying his vote is a form of political speech protected by the U.S. Constitution. He also raised the possibility he would take legal action against the mayor or anyone who tries to strip away his job."

    Good! I believe the mayor's request is grounds for a lawsuit alone. This is just an absurd and assenine abuse of power on the mayor's behalf. No representative should be afraid to vote for what they believe is right due to other's influence.
  • wishninja, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Just stopped by again to say: "Jim Forsythe for Congress in NH"
    He is the only running congressional candidate running with the endorsement of Ron Paul. Please support him if we want Decriminalization to become nation wide.
  • zmedico, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3People shouldn't tolerate authoritarian behavior like this from the mayor. Perhaps the mayor himself should resign.
  • odigity, on 03/24/2008, -0/+1Yes, we've made great progress towards decriminalization here in NH, thanks in large part to the efforts of Free State Project members. We're working to achieve Liberty in our Lifetime, and we're succeeding.

    Won't you join us? http://freestateproject.org/
  •  

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