Hanover Votes Not to Vote on Marijuana

HANOVER, N.H. – Residents have voted not to vote on whether medical marijuana should be allowed in the town.  Livefree, a Manchester group that advocates legalizing the medical use of marijuana, had obtained enough signatures to bring the issue to Town Meeting. Their proposal urged police not to arrest adults with the drug if they had a doctor's note saying it was for medical purposes. But Tuesday night, acting on the advice of the town's attorney and a state representative, voters tabled discussion of the plan. There was no debate.  Hanover State Rep. Bernard Benn told his neighbors he had voted for a proposal to allow marijuana for medical purposes that was killed in the Legislature this year. But Benn said the proper venue for discussions of drug law was in the Statehouse.  "I think it would be quite irresponsible of the Town Meeting to instruct our police officers not to enforce the law," Benn said.  Residents were told state law would supersede town law anyway.