(Edited version published in the Concord Monitor.) 

Last Tuesday's hearing on HB 1623, the bill to reduce penalties for marijuana possession, made for some interesting drama in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.  Those speaking in favor of the bill included a county prison superintendent, an active duty New Hampshire police officer, a Dartmouth medical student, and a cadre of citizens who argued that marijuana is a less harmful substance than alcohol.  Opposition was voiced only by the state Attorney General's office and the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.  (Video and media links are at NHCommonSense.org).

The most eye-opening statement of the entire hearing came not from any of the bill's numerous supporters, but from Berlin Police Chief Peter Morency, president of the Association of Chiefs.    It happened when Rep. Timothy Robertson  (D-Keene) asked Morency if, following the logic of marijuana prohibition, he would be in favor of reinstituting Alcohol Prohibition.

To the astonishment of virtually everybody in the room, Morency didn't say no.  "Knowing what it (alcohol) causes to families, I certainly would consider it," he told the committee members.  "But I can't go there -- it's something that's legal now, and we have a huge financial burden as a result of it."

I truly hope Morency is alone among New Hampshire police chiefs in his unfortunate misunderstanding of history.  Alcohol Prohibition is accurately described in every textbook as one of the most disastrous social policy failures in U.S. history, and the financial burden of policing the newly created black market proved to be exponentially higher than the financial burden of enforcing legitimate laws governing reckless and aggressive behavior.  In fact, reckless and aggressive behavior associated with alcohol increased during the Prohibition years. 

The taxation and regulation of alcohol has been a great success in New Hampshire and across the United States.  The problems caused by irresponsible drinkers are dealt with by law enforcement, violent gangs no longer control any piece of the alcohol marketplace, and the term "police corruption" is no longer associated with alcohol, except in historical reference to Alcohol Prohibition. 

Despite the fact that alcohol is a dangerous drug, a drug which is strongly associated with assaults, domestic violence, and severely impaired driving, the people of New Hampshire know better than to believe government has any right to stop adults from drinking.  Fortunately, many members of the law enforcement and criminal justice community have come to understand that prohibition is a failure for marijuana as well (a less dangerous drug, by any honest scientific standard), and the organization known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is growing by leaps and bounds.

We hope to one day convince the chiefs of police and others in the law enforcement and criminal justice community that Marijuana Prohibition simply creates more problems than it solves.  In the meantime, I expect the citizens of New Hampshire would appreciate some assurance that the individuals who enforce New Hampshire's laws do not secretly covet a return to the violent, crime and corruption-ridden days of Alcohol Prohibition.