It does not seem as though the cause of marijuana decriminalization will be miraculously resurrected as this session of the state legislature comes to a close. The Daily Chronic recently fumed with frustration:
Yet another study has found that New Hampshire residents want to join the rest of New England in decriminalizing marijuana possession, but the state Senate continues to stall a bill to do this, despite passing by an overwhelming majority in the House earlier this year.
According to the latest poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 3 out of 5 New Hampshire residents believe that marijuana should be decriminalized. New Hampshire remains the only state in New England that treats simple marijuana possession as a criminal offense with the potential for jail time.
Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana in New Hampshire is a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year of incarceration and a maximum fine of $2,000.
The non-profit anti-substance abuse (and legalization) group New Futures was not contentedly resting on its laurels however, recently releasing a list of seven ways that being located in a state of rotten drunkards hurts NH businesses:
1. More than 54,000 workers with an alcohol dependency or abuse problem are employed by New Hampshire businesses.
2. A December 2012 study by PolEcon Research found that excessive alcohol consumption in New Hampshire costs the state $756,000,000 in lost worker productivity.
3. Impaired productivity of alcohol dependent workers in the New Hampshire labor force costs an estimated $325,600,000 in reduced earnings—an average of $4,878 per alcohol dependent worker.
4. Over $27,000,000 in alcohol-attributed absenteeism costs are incurred by NH businesses.
5. The implied loss of output by New Hampshire businesses resulting from excessive alcohol absenteeism is over $71,000,000.
6. Alcohol dependency reduces the NH labor force by an estimated 9,292 workers, or 1.3% of the total workforce.
7. Industries that employ a high percentage of younger and/or male workers—such as retail and construction—have the highest rates of excessive alcohol use in their workplace.