One of the first things debated by the New Hampshire legislature in 2007 is a proposal to decriminalize marijuana use in the state, the Nashua Telegraph reported Jan. 16.

The legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing on the measure this week. The bill, H.B. 92, is backed by groups like Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and is the subject of a petition campaign organized by a group called the Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy.

"Despite the threat of severe penalties, many responsible, productive New Hampshire citizens continue to use marijuana," according to the coalition. "As long as these individuals do not harm others, we believe it is unwise and unjust to continue persecuting them as enemies of the state."

"If the committee is willing to give this bill the serious consideration it merits, it will conclude that decriminalization is the only sensible solution to the slew of problems marijuana prohibition has created for New Hampshire," added spokesperson Matt Simon.

Liberal Democrat Chuck Weed, conservative Republican Paul Ingbretson, and Republican Steve Vaillancourt, who has a libertarian bent, are cosponsors of the bill. Similar measures have been soundly defeated in the recent past, however, and opponents include Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and various police groups.