Support HB511-FN
HB511-FN is a bill currently in the New Hampshire House of Representatives that would reduce criminal penalties for possession of all controlled drugs under 4 grams from felonies to misdemeanors. It also makes possession of any amount of rohypnol (common street names: date rape drug, forget me drug, ruffies), a felony offense. It has bi-partisan sponsorship and the support of many agencies and professionals in law enforcement, medical and mental health treatment, and social services.
America’s “war on drugs” was lost decades ago. It was doomed from the beginning, because drug use and addiction aren’t enemies to be defeated by force, but a complex societal and medical problem that can only be addressed by reforms and treatments. Long prison sentences, “3 strikes” laws, and other draconian responses have only added new problems. Criminalizing drug use has been a tragic, expensive failure.
As a teacher of children and adolescents experiencing trauma, I knew many families suffering the effects of substance abuse. I visited parents in jail when I needed them to sign paperwork. I attended a few heartbreaking funerals. I’m still in touch with some of “my kids.” Not one of them, nor any of their families, was ever lifted out of addiction by going to jail. Those who are well and thriving are there because of solid community support and effective treatment.
In NH, one in seven inmates is imprisoned for a drug offense. The average cost per inmate in NH is nearly $35,000 annually, putting us in the top third in the country for incarceration expenditures. And yet a felony conviction on a first time drug possession offense has never decreased drug use; it only creates irrevocable barriers to future success and paths to recovery.
Instead of throwing money away on a failed response to our substance abuse crisis, HB511-FN allows us to redirect funds toward proven treatment opportunities so people can recover and stay well. The benefits of doing so are overwhelming. People can work, support themselves and their families, remain grounded in their communities, and build a future. Young people who are experimenting with drugs will be able to talk about their use without fear of harsh punishment, increasing the opportunity to prevent addiction. Law enforcement and courts will have time and funding to deal with more serious crimes.
It is very easy now to contact our state representatives by phone or online at nh.gov to tell them to support HB511-FN. Find the bill on the House Calendar to see when it will be discussed in committee or heard on the floor. Everyone can register support with a few clicks. Personal testimony is powerful, and we can register to testify “in person” online. To leave written testimony, use the same nh.gov tool to send an email to the full House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Our voices matter; our Representatives are listening; we can be part of this effort to literally save lives.