Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Manchester - One of the state representatives caught up in the attorney general's investigation of pot sales at the State House says he plans to file legislation to expand the state's medical marijuana law.
Republican state Rep. Joe Lachance of Manchester told investigators he used the marijuana to treat a spinal injury, gastrointestinal illness and PTSD he incurred in military service.
Lachance was one of the most active legislators in the two-year push for medical marijuana in New Hampshire, and is now an approved patient with a state-issued registry card.
He wants to see the law expanded to allow medicinal cannabis for four new conditions - post-traumatic stress syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and opioid addiction.
Lachance said he became addicted to opioids during his recovery from spinal surgery, and eventually discovered that cannabis proved to be a safer alternative.
"Cannabis saved my life," he said. "I'm a walking example of exactly what cannabis can do. Not only can it get you off opioids, but it can do so safely. No one in the history of the world has ever died from a marijuana overdose."
An Army veteran on disability, Lachance was one of five state representatives named in an investigative report released Friday by the attorney general, which concluded that former Nottingham state Rep. Kyle Tasker used marijuana in the State House and sold it to a handful of lawmakers.
None of the five lawmakers are facing criminal charges, since they were granted immunity for cooperating in the investigation. They all seemed to believe Tasker was trying to help people who needed marijuana for medicinal purposes but could not obtain it legally in New Hampshire.
Tasker already faces felony drug and firearms charges in Rockingham County stemming from an alleged attempt to lure a 14-year-old into a sexual encounter that led police to a stockpile of drugs and guns in his home.
Lachance, who told investigators he purchased marijuana from Tasker six to eight times, says none of the purchases would have been necessary if the state had been on schedule in the implementation of its medical marijuana law.
The state's first legal dispensary for medical marijuana didn't open until April of this year, and the attorney general's report involved transactions before that time.
In June of 2015, Lachance sued the Department of Health and Human Services, and then-commissioner Nick Toumpas, over delays in implementing the medical marijuana law that the Legislature had approved two years earlier.
His lawsuit was later withdrawn when a terminally ill cancer patient prevailed in her lawsuit and forced the state to issue her a registry card so she could legally purchase medical marijuana in Maine until the state got its program up and running.
Lachance said he hopes to file separate bills for each of the new conditions he would like to see added to the law.
"Each one warrants a full hearing," he said. "I'm going to have a lot of witnesses, doctors, a lot of research from other countries. We really feel this is the year we are going to make some tremendous strides in the therapeutic use of cannabis program."
The first-term representative says his constituents in Manchester's Ward 1 and peers in the State House have been supportive in the wake of the attorney general's report.
"I have had overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans who have contacted me and appreciate that I'm fighting the good fight," he said. "My constituents know I never smoked marijuana in the State House nor did I conduct any drug transactions in the State House. Although that could be inferred from the report, it's far from the truth."
Republican state Rep. Ted Wright of Sanbornville, who was attempting to obtain marijuana for his cancer-stricken wife, called the pot probe a "witch hunt," and Lachance agrees.
No one other than Tasker was charged or arrested, and the existing charges against Tasker were not enhanced by the investigation, so what was the point, says Lachance.
"People weren't charged, yet a five-page report comes out with my complete medical details," he said. "If they are going to issue a press release and not charge anyone, they could have left the names out. But I don't care that my name was up there, because I stand proud for what I believe in."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lawmaker Named In State House Pot Probe Wants Medical Marijuana Law Expanded
Author: Dave Solomon
Contact: (603) 668-1210
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Union Leader
Republican state Rep. Joe Lachance of Manchester told investigators he used the marijuana to treat a spinal injury, gastrointestinal illness and PTSD he incurred in military service.
Lachance was one of the most active legislators in the two-year push for medical marijuana in New Hampshire, and is now an approved patient with a state-issued registry card.
He wants to see the law expanded to allow medicinal cannabis for four new conditions - post-traumatic stress syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and opioid addiction.
Lachance said he became addicted to opioids during his recovery from spinal surgery, and eventually discovered that cannabis proved to be a safer alternative.
"Cannabis saved my life," he said. "I'm a walking example of exactly what cannabis can do. Not only can it get you off opioids, but it can do so safely. No one in the history of the world has ever died from a marijuana overdose."
An Army veteran on disability, Lachance was one of five state representatives named in an investigative report released Friday by the attorney general, which concluded that former Nottingham state Rep. Kyle Tasker used marijuana in the State House and sold it to a handful of lawmakers.
None of the five lawmakers are facing criminal charges, since they were granted immunity for cooperating in the investigation. They all seemed to believe Tasker was trying to help people who needed marijuana for medicinal purposes but could not obtain it legally in New Hampshire.
Tasker already faces felony drug and firearms charges in Rockingham County stemming from an alleged attempt to lure a 14-year-old into a sexual encounter that led police to a stockpile of drugs and guns in his home.
Lachance, who told investigators he purchased marijuana from Tasker six to eight times, says none of the purchases would have been necessary if the state had been on schedule in the implementation of its medical marijuana law.
The state's first legal dispensary for medical marijuana didn't open until April of this year, and the attorney general's report involved transactions before that time.
In June of 2015, Lachance sued the Department of Health and Human Services, and then-commissioner Nick Toumpas, over delays in implementing the medical marijuana law that the Legislature had approved two years earlier.
His lawsuit was later withdrawn when a terminally ill cancer patient prevailed in her lawsuit and forced the state to issue her a registry card so she could legally purchase medical marijuana in Maine until the state got its program up and running.
Lachance said he hopes to file separate bills for each of the new conditions he would like to see added to the law.
"Each one warrants a full hearing," he said. "I'm going to have a lot of witnesses, doctors, a lot of research from other countries. We really feel this is the year we are going to make some tremendous strides in the therapeutic use of cannabis program."
The first-term representative says his constituents in Manchester's Ward 1 and peers in the State House have been supportive in the wake of the attorney general's report.
"I have had overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans who have contacted me and appreciate that I'm fighting the good fight," he said. "My constituents know I never smoked marijuana in the State House nor did I conduct any drug transactions in the State House. Although that could be inferred from the report, it's far from the truth."
Republican state Rep. Ted Wright of Sanbornville, who was attempting to obtain marijuana for his cancer-stricken wife, called the pot probe a "witch hunt," and Lachance agrees.
No one other than Tasker was charged or arrested, and the existing charges against Tasker were not enhanced by the investigation, so what was the point, says Lachance.
"People weren't charged, yet a five-page report comes out with my complete medical details," he said. "If they are going to issue a press release and not charge anyone, they could have left the names out. But I don't care that my name was up there, because I stand proud for what I believe in."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lawmaker Named In State House Pot Probe Wants Medical Marijuana Law Expanded
Author: Dave Solomon
Contact: (603) 668-1210
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Union Leader