Robert Celt
New Member
As members of the House review legislation that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, highway safety has emerged as a key issue.
As members of the House review legislation that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, highway safety has emerged as a key issue.
After clearing the Senate last month on a narrow majority, the bill, S.241, moved to the House Judiciary Committee. The 11-member panel dove into testimony on the issue, hearing from law enforcement, medical experts, advocates and others through the course of last week.
Key law enforcement figures raised concerns about road safety, many testifying that legalizing marijuana would increase the number of impaired drivers on Vermont roads.
Keith Flynn, who heads the Department of Public Safety, also emphasized that legalization could be a big drain on Vermont's law enforcement resources, which are already stretched thin in the face of increasing opiate use and addiction.
"The biggest problem that we have today is not marijuana," Flynn said. "The biggest problem we have is opiates."
He said the state does not treat marijuana as a major issue, instead concentrating on the opiate epidemic.
"We have people dying on a weekly basis from opiates. That is where we're putting our resources," Flynn said.
The head of the Vermont State Police said much the same thing. "We are overwhelmed at this point," said Col. Matt Birmingham of the prevalence of opiates in Vermont.
Birmingham told the committee he sees many public safety issues around legalization of marijuana and has concerns about how enforceable the law would be.
He said the state police are not staffed to be able to accommodate an increase in impaired drivers that would follow legalization.
It would be a big task for a small state like Vermont to stamp out the black market in marijuana on its own, he said. Legalization in Vermont could have a spillover effect on metropolitan areas in neighboring states and across the border in Canada.
Former Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling said he sees marijuana as a "peripheral issue." He testified against the bill, saying the time is not right. The pace, he said, "seems beyond frenzied to me."
Schirling said legalization of marijuana would burden the state in trying to address not only highway safety but educational outcomes and health care costs as well.
The former chief, who retired from the helm of the Burlington Police Department last year, said he saw thousands of examples of marijuana use in the course of his three-decade career "that simply do not match the narrative that is being spun to you in support of legalization."
Transportation Secretary Chris Cole cited statistics from 2015. Of the 68 drivers who were involved in fatal crashes that year, one-third were impaired by some substance. Half of those drivers were found to have marijuana – either alone or in combination with another substance – in their systems.
Some people are already buying and using marijuana illegally, and they may be driving. Others might begin buying and using it if it were legal. But Cole said the biggest question mark in considering marijuana legalization is the market made up of people who will come from out of state.
"We don't know how many people are going to come to our state to buy marijuana legally," Cole said. "We just don't know."
Cole also spoke about the accessibility of marijuana to children. He said he has heard from his two sons that marijuana is easier for teenagers to get than beer. Legalization could potentially change that, he said.
"Are kids going to still get it like they do today? Sure," Cole said. "Will it be harder? Depends on how you set up the policy."
Matt Simon, of the Marijuana Policy Project, testified to support the bill. Simon said he does not believe marijuana is harmless. However, he told the committee, he believes it is less harmful than alcohol.
"If we have drawn the line at alcohol of substances that we're going to tolerate and accept in society, I would argue that marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol," Simon said.
The House Judiciary Committee will continue to take testimony on the bill in the coming week, holding a series of joint hearings with the Government Operations and Human Services committees.
Thursday lawmakers are to hold a two-hour public hearing on the issue in the well of the House Chamber beginning at 5 p.m.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NH: Road Safety A Marijuana Concern
Author: Elizabeth Hewitt
Contact: Valley News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Valley News
As members of the House review legislation that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, highway safety has emerged as a key issue.
After clearing the Senate last month on a narrow majority, the bill, S.241, moved to the House Judiciary Committee. The 11-member panel dove into testimony on the issue, hearing from law enforcement, medical experts, advocates and others through the course of last week.
Key law enforcement figures raised concerns about road safety, many testifying that legalizing marijuana would increase the number of impaired drivers on Vermont roads.
Keith Flynn, who heads the Department of Public Safety, also emphasized that legalization could be a big drain on Vermont's law enforcement resources, which are already stretched thin in the face of increasing opiate use and addiction.
"The biggest problem that we have today is not marijuana," Flynn said. "The biggest problem we have is opiates."
He said the state does not treat marijuana as a major issue, instead concentrating on the opiate epidemic.
"We have people dying on a weekly basis from opiates. That is where we're putting our resources," Flynn said.
The head of the Vermont State Police said much the same thing. "We are overwhelmed at this point," said Col. Matt Birmingham of the prevalence of opiates in Vermont.
Birmingham told the committee he sees many public safety issues around legalization of marijuana and has concerns about how enforceable the law would be.
He said the state police are not staffed to be able to accommodate an increase in impaired drivers that would follow legalization.
It would be a big task for a small state like Vermont to stamp out the black market in marijuana on its own, he said. Legalization in Vermont could have a spillover effect on metropolitan areas in neighboring states and across the border in Canada.
Former Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling said he sees marijuana as a "peripheral issue." He testified against the bill, saying the time is not right. The pace, he said, "seems beyond frenzied to me."
Schirling said legalization of marijuana would burden the state in trying to address not only highway safety but educational outcomes and health care costs as well.
The former chief, who retired from the helm of the Burlington Police Department last year, said he saw thousands of examples of marijuana use in the course of his three-decade career "that simply do not match the narrative that is being spun to you in support of legalization."
Transportation Secretary Chris Cole cited statistics from 2015. Of the 68 drivers who were involved in fatal crashes that year, one-third were impaired by some substance. Half of those drivers were found to have marijuana – either alone or in combination with another substance – in their systems.
Some people are already buying and using marijuana illegally, and they may be driving. Others might begin buying and using it if it were legal. But Cole said the biggest question mark in considering marijuana legalization is the market made up of people who will come from out of state.
"We don't know how many people are going to come to our state to buy marijuana legally," Cole said. "We just don't know."
Cole also spoke about the accessibility of marijuana to children. He said he has heard from his two sons that marijuana is easier for teenagers to get than beer. Legalization could potentially change that, he said.
"Are kids going to still get it like they do today? Sure," Cole said. "Will it be harder? Depends on how you set up the policy."
Matt Simon, of the Marijuana Policy Project, testified to support the bill. Simon said he does not believe marijuana is harmless. However, he told the committee, he believes it is less harmful than alcohol.
"If we have drawn the line at alcohol of substances that we're going to tolerate and accept in society, I would argue that marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol," Simon said.
The House Judiciary Committee will continue to take testimony on the bill in the coming week, holding a series of joint hearings with the Government Operations and Human Services committees.
Thursday lawmakers are to hold a two-hour public hearing on the issue in the well of the House Chamber beginning at 5 p.m.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NH: Road Safety A Marijuana Concern
Author: Elizabeth Hewitt
Contact: Valley News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Valley News
