Monday, February 23, 2015

Alaska Marijuana Legalization Takes Effect Tuesday

Contact: Darby Beck                                                                                           For Immediate Release:

darby.beck@leap.cc                                                                                                     February 23, 2015

415.823.5496


ALASKA MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION TAKES EFFECT 

TUESDAY 

Commercial Regulation Development Underway

Law Enforcement Anticipates Public Safety Improvements


Last November, Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2, a law to legalize and regulate marijuana for

adults, passed with 52% of the vote. When the measure takes effect on Tuesday this

week, people age 21 and older will legally be able to possess up to one ounce of

marijuana and cultivate no more than six plants at home, though commercial sales will

have to wait until regulations have been established – probably spring or summer of

2016. Colorado, Oregon and Washington have also legalized marijuana, and medical

marijuana is permitted in 23 states and Washington D.C.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a group of criminal justice professionals

opposed to the drug war, campaigned for Measure 2 by meeting with communities and

the media to discuss the public safety benefits of marijuana regulation.

“We anxiously await the same public safety improvements from Alaska that we have

already seen in Colorado and Washington,” said Maj. Neill Franklin (Ret.), executive

director of LEAP. “Cops will spend more time going after dangerous criminals and

protecting communities, and parents can rest assured that their local marijuana retailer is

barred from selling to their children.”

Tuesday also marks the first day of drafting the manufacturing and sales regulations. The

timeline states that regulations should be completed by November 2015, business

applications should open in February 2016, and licenses should be issued by May of the

same year. Some regulators are concerned the timeline is too short, and advocate for a

later deadline to ensure the best possible regulatory model.

The state’s judiciary committee recently stalled SB 30, a bill that initially concerned

legalization advocates due to ambiguity surrounding its ability to supersede Measure 2.

The committee has ordered a replacement bill, which may provide clarity and ensure that

Measure 2 and the will of Alaska’s voters are respected. Other pending state legislation

relating to Measure 2 include SB 8, which would regulate the production of industrial

hemp.

LEAP is committed to ending decades of failed policy that have fueled dangerous

underground markets and gang violence, fostered corruption and racism, and largely

ignored the public health crisis of addiction, all while spending billions of dollars

diverting the penal system's attention away from more important violent crimes.

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