To all Members of the NH House and Senate—
Thank you for your efforts to pass a medical marijuana bill.
I’m a NH resident who constantly faces jail time because I need marijuana to
function. Obviously I support the notion of medical marijuana.
But I think you're being very short-sighted if you don’t consider medical marijuana
legislation in the context of the so-called "drug war".
What I propose below would take courage. I’m asking you to pass a dignified medical
marijuana bill—a bill that puts people ahead of powerful government special interests
that profit greatly from drug prohibition.
HB 442 is riddled with pages of complex restrictions (my disease doesn't qualify even
though marijuana clearly prevents my suffering). Like many other residents, I must
continue to risk jail time to stay healthy.
You have an important opportunity to advance the cause of freedom while setting a
principled example for other states to follow. Please consider my argument below.
Thank you for your valuable time,
Carmen Yarrusso
A Plea to the NH House and Senate for a Dignified Medical Marijuana Bill
Dear representatives of the people of New Hampshire:
If any state embodies the ideals of individual freedom, it’s our beloved New
Hampshire. Live Free or Die is more than a state slogan for most of us. Living free
certainly means free from government intrusion into our personal lives.
So why on earth do we tolerate our government dictating what we can and cannot
put into our own bodies?
When Governor Lynch vetoed your previous highly compromised medical marijuana
bill (HB 648), he sold us all to the federal government like slaves. His idea of living
free is handing over our most basic human right to the federal government—our
right of sovereignty over our own bodies.
Governor Lynch believes the federal government, not us, should have final say on
whether or not marijuana benefits our lives. Even more offensive, his veto clearly
concedes we’re criminals to be punished if we dare disobey our masters and put
marijuana into our government-owned bodies.
Live Free or Die?
Governor Lynch admits some NH residents could benefit from medical marijuana. But
he fears if he allows some sick residents to have sovereignty over their bodies, non-
sick residents might try to claim sovereignty over their bodies by pretending to need
marijuana as medicine.
Incredibly, Governor Lynch says trusting our own minds (instead of our government)
to decide if marijuana benefits our lives, is a crime. He wants to punish any uppity
slaves who think they know more about what’s good for them than their supreme
government masters.
Why should any of us (sick or not) be forced to beg our government for permission to
use a remarkably safe substance that has proven to be effective medicine for many
ailments and has enhanced human lives for thousands of years? Marijuana
prohibition takes away our dignity along with our most basic freedom.
Many highly competent NH doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, state
representatives, and thousands of other productive residents, regularly use marijuana
and consider it a beneficial part of their lives. But unless you’re one of the few slaves
who can prove you’re suffering from the likes of terminal bone cancer, don’t come
begging to Governor Lynch for your freedom.
The glaring truth about the “drug war�
The “drug war� is a blatantly dishonest, extremely expensive, highly destructive,
grossly unjust, abject failure of our government. Like slavery, it’s all about making big
money by first taking away our most basic human right—the right of sovereignty over
our own bodies.
Despite thirty years and more than a trillion dollars of taxpayer money spent trying to
stop—not robbery, not rape, not murder, not even shoplifting—but trying to stop
adults from using certain arbitrarily-banned drugs, despite draconian punishments,
despite currently jailing 500,000 non-violent Americans, despite tens of thousands of
prohibition related murders, these drugs are cheaper, purer and more readily
available than ever.
Even if you care nothing about our individual freedom, it’s obvious the “drug war� is
a vast government scam that’s guaranteed to be perpetually futile. Prohibition only
pretends to fight drugs. In fact it guarantees massive profits to anyone in the world
who can produce and deliver prohibited drugs to our streets.
It pretends jailing drug dealers is fighting drugs. In fact this just creates lucrative job
openings for more efficient, more ruthless, eager replacements. It pretends
intercepting large quantities of drugs is fighting drugs. In fact only a small
percentage of drugs are intercepted and those seized are easily and cheaply
replaced.
Prohibition creates, sustains, and handsomely rewards the illegal drug industry while
pretending to fight that very same industry. Like the classic mafia protection racket,
our government creates a perpetual problem and then charges us exorbitantly to
“protect� us from it.
This abomination continues unabated because our government is addicted to drug
money—the taxpayer billions it wastes year after year after year pretending to fight
an enemy created and sustained by prohibition itself.
A truly modest proposal
Medical marijuana is a clear threat to this immense crime against humanity. Should
we regain sovereignty over our own bodies, this vast government scam would
collapse. The billions wasted each year enslaving Americans (while guaranteeing
massive profits for drug cartels) could go instead toward health care, education, or
other worthy causes.
You’re supposed to represent all the people of New Hampshire, not just the few
suffering souls who could benefit from medical marijuana. But when you beg
Governor Lynch to free only the sickest slaves among us, you implicitly concede the
government’s right to own the rest of us.
You came as begging slaves and Governor Lynch treated you like begging slaves.
Obviously he wants to keep the vast majority of us government-owned and free only
a token few deemed sick enough (by our compassionate masters) to deserve their
freedom.
It’s time to stop begging and tell Governor Lynch that all NH citizens have a basic
human right of sovereignty over their own bodies—not just the few who could ease
their suffering with medical marijuana.
As representatives of the Live Free or Die state you have a golden opportunity to
advance freedom—not just here in New Hampshire, but across our great nation and
around the world.
You have the power to pass a veto-proof medical marijuana bill that not only would
free the sickest of our slaves, but would begin the process of freeing all our slaves.
New Hampshire could lead the nation in ending this egregiously immoral government
tyranny called the “drug war�.
A dignified medical marijuana bill
Most of HB 442 is gobbledygook that obsequiously assures our government masters
that non-sick residents will remain slaves and be punished severely if they try to
escape.
Please, for your dignity, for the dignity of all NH residents, get off your knees and
present Governor Lynch with a medical marijuana bill that respects our most basic
human right, our right of sovereignty over our own bodies.
Instead of pages of conditions, restrictions, exceptions and various other undignified
constraints on our precious individual freedom, please find the courage to word your
bill something like this:
This bill permits the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes if recommended by a
physician.
To accept that our government is more qualified than we are to decide whether or
not marijuana is good medicine for us, would be an unconscionable betrayal of all NH
residents. This is clearly a personal medical decision that should be between
individuals and their physicians without any government interference.
Further, the extremely vile notion that NH residents are criminals should they trust
their own minds (instead of our government) to make this personal medical decision
is blatant government tyranny, which should not be tolerated by dignified, free
people.
New Hampshire residents will no longer be considered criminals when using
marijuana for ANY medical purpose if they have a written recommendation from a
physician.
Such users may grow or obtain as much marijuana as they need for their personal
use or may appoint “designated caregivers� to grow or obtain it for them. Period.
One day soon the world will look back on the “drug war� as the crime against
humanity it is—a prime example of extreme human debauchery in the service of
greed. You ladies and gentlemen have the power to make that day come sooner
rather than later.
Please, for the sake of humanity, show the world that we New Hampshire residents
respect our state motto. Let us inspire other states considering medical marijuana to
find the courage to break away from their chains as well by passing a medical
marijuana bill that reclaims our freedom and our dignity.
Live Free or Die!