
Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana - lygi
http://www.adn.com/article/20141104/alaskans-vote-legalize-marijuana
======
japhyr
Here's an interesting piece of the Alaska marijuana legal status. We just
voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, which includes growing and
selling marijuana. I'm happy to see it pass because possession has been legal
here for a long time, but sales and distribution has not. That's a murky legal
situation, which I'm happy to see cleared up.

But last night an article ran in our local paper stating that the Coast Guard
will continue to enforce federal marijuana regulations [0]. In Alaska, that's
a huge asterisk next to legalization. You can't carry marijuana on a boat,
which includes the ferries in southeast and throughout the Gulf of Alaska.
That also impacts all of the villages throughout the state whose main access
is by river. And finally, transporting marijuana by air is against federal
regulations as well. That means marijuana is essentially legalized on the road
system of Alaska, which leaves much of the state in another legal limbo.

I look forward to the day where the entire country has a more reasonable
approach to marijuana regulation.

[0] [http://juneauempire.com/local/2014-11-03/smoke-
water#.VFpFQT...](http://juneauempire.com/local/2014-11-03/smoke-
water#.VFpFQTR4pcQ)

~~~
jdmichal
I didn't think drug enforcement was a duty of the Coast Guard. Usually
anything related to cargo and crew is the CBP's responsibility, while the
Coast Guard is about safety (life-jackets and -boats, certifications, search
and rescue, etc.).

~~~
dghughes
It's a drug and you're in or operating a vehicle I'd say it's no different
than having an open bottle of alcohol.

Police in my province have been trained to spot DUI of drugs (besides alcohol)
mostly pot since it seems many people think it's OK to drive stoned.

~~~
birken
Having an open bottle of alcohol and drinking it is legal on a boat. You just
can't be intoxicated.

------
chaostheory
I still find it very strange that California wasn't one of the first states to
legalize marijuana. Now there are three states ahead.

EDIT: Looking at the results, these counties that voted 'No' surprised me

Los Angeles County (Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Pomona,
Palmdale, Pasadena, Torrance, Inglewood, Burbank, Carson, Santa Monica etc.)

Santa Clara County (San Jose, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Gilroy, Palo Alto)

Riverside County (Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Palm Springs)

Orange County (Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach)

~~~
mturmon
I live in LA county. The reason the initiative failed in LA county is that we
had a rash of fly-by-night MMJ dispensaries popping up everywhere. They looked
shady: armed guards standing outside, blacked-out storefront windows,
typically not run/owned by anyone identifiable in the community. The look from
the street was like a massage parlor or strip club.

When cities, like LA proper, tried to regulate them by establishing a permit
process, the MMJ dispensaries fought back in the courts (which is their
right), and there ensued a legal cat-and-mouse game that stretched on for
years. Because medical MJ is used in CA as a surrogate for legalization, it
was hard to have an honest debate.

Given the failure of local regulation, there was a backlash against going
farther. It'll work itself out. And then we'll see how it looks, because as
with everything else under the sun, legalization won't be a panacea.

~~~
crazypyro
It might be helpful to note that a major reason for armed guards could be the
inability to keep money in proper banks, due to federal laws. When one doesn't
allow law abiding citizens to participate in a seemingly reasonable manner, I
don't think it is any surprise that criminals and other societal outcasts tend
to fill the void....

(As an aside, even with the change to federal regulations earlier this year,
it is unclear that it even affects and allows California dispensaries to
legally deposit money as they are not state regulated, which I believe was a
stipulation, but someone more informed might be able to correct me.)

~~~
mturmon
> ...inability to keep money in proper banks, due to federal laws...

I agree. This contradiction (partly legal, partly not) discouraged typical
law-abiding citizens from entering the MMJ business.

I think there was also a tax angle, in that you had a hard time reporting the
MMJ income as taxable, but if you didn't, you were evading taxes.

The operator of a dispensary up the street from me was pinched by the feds
boarding a private plane with a suitcase containing about $60K in cash. (It's
not like it was a flight to Mexico, it was all within CA.)

So, like it or not, because of the way we have regularized MJ, that's the type
of incumbent "businesspeople" we have.

------
eli
DC and Oregon too. I think DC in particular will be interesting because
Congress has power over DC it does not have with states. Could be the opening
for a national debate (or the newly elected Congress could simply crush it).

~~~
waterlesscloud
My understanding is that it doesn't apply to federal lands in the District,
which makes for some interesting problems what with all the parks.

I don't think Congress will attempt to shut it down in the city. I don't see
that being a winning move politically, for a number of reasons. But I could
also see zero tolerance being stepped up on The Mall to keep the tourists from
less tolerant states placated.

~~~
eli
Correct, there are _many_ federal parks in DC where this would not apply. Even
on DC land, I don't think the law permits smoking in public anyway.

I don't think Congress will veto the law (which doesn't happen often) but I
think there's a good chance they kill it with a budget rider (which happens
every year).

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dmsinger
This is very interesting considering Alaska has some strict alcohol laws.
There are many areas that are completely dry, and alcohol is very expensive
(black market). It's generally this way due to crime and abuse.

Will these areas kneejerk the same restrictions with marijuana, or will they
wait to see how the community reacts?

/serious off

It's illegal to give a moose alcohol in Fairbanks:
[http://www.legalsource360.com/index.php/strange-laws-in-
alas...](http://www.legalsource360.com/index.php/strange-laws-in-alaska-438/)
Hope they're not left out, again.

~~~
eric_h
> It's illegal to give a moose alcohol in Fairbanks

This sounds like a perfectly reasonable law. Imagine the damage a 1500 lb
drunk bull moose would do.

~~~
toyg
I guess somebody actually experienced it, so they wrote down for good that
it's a Bad Idea™.

------
Lambdanaut
An interesting but perhaps meaningless correlation: The areas legalizing
marijuana first are all predominantly cold, mountainous states.

~~~
abruzzi
Except DC which was built on a swamp.

------
arca_vorago
I'm ready for Texas to follow suite. You think corn, wheat, cotton, cows, and
oil are profitable? Wait till the congressmen and farmers understand how
valuable MJ is as a cash crop, I predict legalization even in our red state
within a decade.

~~~
wavefunction
I think industrial hemp holds even more promise commercially, but I suppose
the marginal profit by weight on cannabis vs. hemp is greater since it's
either slated for recreational or medicinal uses rather than the generally
less-sexy uses for hemp fibers and oils.

~~~
arca_vorago
I agree regarding hemp. It's a very versatile and relatively hardy crop, and
with shorter growing cycles than other crops, so the same applies to it.

------
josho
I can't help but to wonder if the tobacco lobby is somehow involved. For
decades society fought against smoking and has largely won. So, what happened
to all of those tobacco crops? I wonder if that industry is behind the
legalize movement so they can shift their production to another crop.

Interesting historical fact is that initial tensions over marijuana came about
because slaves, and later Mexican labourers were frequent users. White
plantation owners (tobacco farmers) took issue with their practices. So, at
least in part the banning of marijuana can be partially attributed to racism.

~~~
themartorana

      You’ll also see that the history of marijuana’s criminalization is filled with:
    
      - Racism
      - Fear
      - Protection of Corporate Profits
      - Yellow Journalism
      - Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators  
      - Personal Career Advancement and Greed
    
      These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.
    

Some messed up stuff right here: [http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-
marijuana-illegal...](http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-
illegal/)

~~~
adventured
There's a lot more money to be made domestically by legalization, when it
comes to corporate profits, than there is in prohibition.

The beer companies proved that the last time around.

If legalization were decided by corporate profits, the war on drugs would have
ended a long time ago. Big pharma would love nothing more than to hand out all
sorts of prescription drugs over the counter. Big ag farms would love nothing
more than to grow and sell pot.

It's blatantly obvious that corporate profits are in fact not the issue.

Right now, a lot of that money is outside the country, in the hands of
cartels, middle-men, etc. That could be mostly brought home, and it would
bolster corporate profits tremendously, to the tune of billions in profit per
year.

~~~
josho
'Big pharma' has no interest in marijuana because it's not their business
model. Since there is no patent protection the generic manufacturers would
squeeze out any profit to be had the medical marijuana market.

~~~
applewut
There is a reason it's called "weed", it grows like one.

------
Tiktaalik
The Liberal Canadian government of the 90s toyed with the idea of marijuana
decriminalization, but the opposing argument that was always raised was that
the Americans would be so staunchly against it.

Back in the 90s I would not have expected all other "Cascadian" states would
legalize marijuana before British Columbia.

~~~
jconn
Here in Vancouver, BC, it seems to be treated as being de facto legal.

You can walk into a dispensary, make an appointment with their in-house
naturopath and claim to have any of a long list of medical conditions which
includes insomnia, digestive problems etc. As long as the naturopath signs off
on a form stating that you have told them you have a condition that is on the
list - you are eligible for membership at the dispensary with no prescription
necessary.

Within 5 blocks of my house there are two such dispensaries, one of with is
renting a retail unit that used to belong to a high-end salon, so essentially
anyone can head on in to a clean, safe store and choose from a wide variety of
cannabis products.

Obviously we still have the problems caused by criminalized marijuana to some
extent (criminal records preventing employment, wasted resources etc.) but
it's impressive how far things have come without decriminalization actually
passing into law.

------
nnx
Ah, this reminds me of this priceless video of a journalist who quits live on
air to dedicate all her energy towards this end.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBPsbgKeIFM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBPsbgKeIFM)

Hopefully all her energy was enough.

------
vaadu
Does this MJ legalization apply to the native Alaskan areas where alcohol
possession is illegal?

~~~
1ris
I _think_ it's now up the local legislative.

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orand
At the time of this comment there are 96 comments with only 6 of them about
Alaska. I find that to be an interesting commentary on HN commentaries. ;-)

------
weewooweewoo
A lot of what can be said has already been said. However, I would like to
share a piece of joy- I'm in one of the pictures in this article. It feels
great.

------
gadders
I look forward to the day they have a vote on PEDs.

------
carlchenet
Gosh we're so far from it in France

------
dbrannan
I live in Alaska as a high school teacher.

We lead the nation in welfare, alcohol abuse and fetal alcohol effects,
suicide, sexually transmitted disease, credit card debt, number of women
murdered, and domestic abuse.

Now we are all going to be high as a kite, too.

This does not make my job any easier.

~~~
kmnc
So, basically every thing you listed can probably be directly related to
Alcohol Abuse. Maybe, just maybe, giving people a healthier and less abusive
vice will make your job easier.

~~~
72deluxe
I got into a lot of credit card debt once in my life. It was not related to
alcohol abuse at all. That's a pretty big assumption you make there.

Thankfully none of those other items have ever been in my life.

