Alaska becomes the first red state to legally allow the possession, gifting, and growing of marijuana – with strings attached: Alaskans above 21 are still barred from publicly smoking the weed and buying the drug. They are not yet allowed to legally possess more than 1 ounce of marijuana, cultivate more than 6 marijuana plants in their backyard, and amass more than 4 ounces in their homes.
The new law, effective February 24, 2015, states:
In the interest of the health and public safety of our citizenry, the people of the state of Alaska further find and declare that the production and sale of marijuana should be regulated so that
- Individuals will have to show proof of age before purchasing marijuana;
- Legitimate, taxpaying business people, and not criminal actors, will conduct sales of marijuana;
- Marijuana sold by regulated businesses will be labeled and subject to additional regulations to ensure that consumers are informed and protected.
Alaska was one of the first states to decriminalize marijuana in 1975. Voters in 1998 legalized the drug for medicinal purposes. In November 2014, Alaskans voted to legalize marijuana by a 52% to 48% margin making Alaska the third state in the United States, after Colorado and Washington, to legalize the drug. State regulators are drafting rules covering the taxation and sale of marijuana, which must be adopted by November 24, 2015. Alaska is expected to open marijuana shops post February 24, 2016.
“Alaska now has some of the most sensible marijuana laws in the nation,” Dr. Tim Hinterberger, chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said in a statement.
Bickford, a spokesperson for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska, said the campaign focused on how intrusive prohibition can be for Alaskans who do nothing illegal besides use marijuana. “This is a conservative state, but it’s a state with a heavy libertarian streak. People here generally want to be left alone and really don’t think the government is the solution to their problems. Alaskans are tired of the failed policies of prohibition,” Bickford added.
To the critics of legalizing the drug who fear that the move will lead to increased use eventually leading to developmental problems, Bickford has this to say: “We’re not talking about introducing [marijuana] to the state for the first time. We’re talking about moving it out of the criminal underground into a regulated environment”.
The below data collected by Addiction-Treatment.com proves that the critics’ fear is baseless:
Yeah and its awesome. I’m in Alaska, smoking a big old fattie as I type…
I’m in Canada and I’m looking at this map and just look at it! It’s hilarious to see that the farthest state away from the main land has the most pot smokers… And as if Rhode Island and Oregon have more smokers than California or Colorado…
given the fact sklyall, that the population of california in 2014 was 38,802,500 and the map says that the number of people from each state is per capita of 100,000…..meaning california with their population devided by 100,000 multiplied by number of people smoking 6855…the number of people smoking weed in california is above 2.5 million…..which is 1.5 million more people than the population in Rhode Island…..population 1,055,173 meaning number of people smoking weed in rhode island is 103,016
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Greetings from Ireland.
I find it very hypocritical that alcohol is a legal substance to have in large amounts publicly as it endorses various forms of illegal behaviour and can cause many forms of health problems, and marijuana is an illegal plant to smoke yet it endorses people to just relax, have a good feed when you get the munchies and just chill the fuck out and it has also been known to cure cancer!