The New Hampshire Senate passed a medical marijuana bill this week. All but one Democrat voted in favor of compassionate relief for the seriously ill, while all but one Republican voted in favor of continued suffering.

The measure applies only to patients afflicted by certain illnesses, such as cancer, or certain symptoms, such as wasting syndrome. If a doctor prescribes marijuana for such a patient, the individual could obtain a card allowing them to legally possess six plants or 2 ounces.

Law enforcement officials opposed the bill and Gov. John Lynch has concerns about it because patients would have to grow or buy the marijuana, and that would somehow make the enforcement of marijuana laws against non-patients more difficult. The easy solution to that dubious dilemma -- legalizing marijuana -- apparently isn't on the table.