The stigma of being labeled a "lawbreaker" may appeal to rebellious youth, but it tends to have the opposite effect on seriously ill patients.  Consider the example of Concord resident Barbara Filleul, who was given an ounce of marijuana by a friend while enduring chemotherapy, but chose to endure severe side-effects rather than use it. 

Seriously ill patients have been arrested and incarcerated in other states, and they are threatened with possible arrest and incarceration in New Hampshire, simply for trying to relieve their symptoms.  So it isn't just about who goes to jail and who doesn't; for these patients, it's about having safe access to marijuana that is not produced or sold in the black market.  If a doctor determines that marijuana is the best treatment for a patient, that patient must be able to obtain and use marijuana which is of adequate and consistent quality, and the stigma of illegality associated with marijuana's legitimate medical uses must be removed.