17 ms·

Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

319 points by lygi 12y ago

arca_vorago 12y ago
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.
- japhyr 12y ago
  That would certainly push the conversation on a national/ federal level. It seems most of the legalization efforts have focused on in-state use. If one of a state's primary goals was to become a producer serving other states, there would be pretty strong motivation to bring federal policy in line with what's happening at the state level.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  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 12y ago
    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.
- toyg 12y ago
  Won't prices eventually start to fall, though, the more legal it becomes? One much-repeated theory explaining support for the initial wave of prohibition was that weed (eh) was too easy to grow, and as such it was depressing prices for a number of other crops. If that's true, I would expect states where the agriculture sector still holds significant power, to be the staunchest bastions of prohibition.
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    Why would it depress prices for other crops? The economic phenomena you're describing is called "replacement" but it's not like farmers aren't growing opium poppies because cannabis is so easy to grow.
    - toyg 12y ago
      Cannabis and opium poppies cannot be used to produce the same end-product. From what I understand, hemp can replace cotton in most end-products; being much easier to grow (and hence cheaper / more plentiful), it could potentially flood markets earlier reserved to cotton, hence depressing prices. Say you have two farmers; one grows cannabis, the other cotton. Because cannabis is easier to grow, the cannabis farmer has more stock to sell, and if demand from the drug market does not absorb it all, he'll try to sell it on the cotton market, potentially igniting a price war with the second farmer.
      - a_c_s 12y ago
        If cotton is an inferior crop, why would we want to keep planting so much of it? In this scenario where hemp & marijuana are legal, cotton farmers could start growing hemp too if that is more profitable.
        dllthomas 12y ago
        There is a lot of different infrastructure for large scale cotton farming versus large scale hemp farming. Those heavily invested in the former have obvious incentive to keep it profitable rather than having to retool. That isn't to say that it's economically most efficient, but that it can certainly motivate propaganda and eventually legislation (and my understanding is that there's some historical evidence that this is what happened, but that it's not completely conclusive).
        delecti 12y ago
        There are absurd amounts of cotton subsidies in this country, to the extent that it's cheaper to ship American grown cotton to factories where it's made into shirts. Typically the opposite happens, where we import crops (cocoa beans, etc) and make the products here to save money.
- tuan5 12y ago
  The whole country needs to legalize MJ. what a great plan to boost our depression!!
- aaron-lebo 12y ago
  It is so hard to say. Texas very much has a libertarian streak on the right and the cities are blue, but there are so many social conservatives around that it is hard to get a bead on how realistic that is.
  - hkarthik 12y ago
    I've been in Texas 10 years, and I don't see this happening until things change at the federal level. Same with gay marriage. Things don't change in Texas until the tanks roll in.
- seanalltogether 12y ago
  Texas still has a lot of dry counties that would probably fight pretty hard against marijuana legalization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S....
eli 12y ago
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).
- ericcumbee 12y ago
  DC legalizing- Christmas came early for Late Night show writers and hosts.
  - eli 12y ago
    I expect it to get a lot of play in the media. In addition to being the seat of government, DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. Although the change has already been passed (overwhelmingly) by referendum, the city council still has to submit the changes to Congress, which will have 60 days to veto them. Further, at any point in the future they can restrict what DC can do via amendments to must-pass spending bills.
    - shitehawk 12y ago
      >DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. That is true but most of the Northeast has decriminalized it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._st...
    - chimeracoder 12y ago
      > DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. Well, DC is a city, and Portland, Maine actually already voted to legalize marijuana in 2013[0]. If DC were a state, it'd be the first state on the east coast, but it's not. It's the first city that is not part of a state (and therefore not subject to constitutional rights allowed states), which is what makes this case very interesting. DC is tricky because it's such a special case, but remember that it's much easier to pass an initiative at the city level than at the state level. [0] http://www.mpp.org/states/maine/ http://www.mpp.org/states/maine/
japhyr 12y ago
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#.VFpFQTR4pcQ http://juneauempire.com/local/2014-11-03/smoke-water#.VFpFQT...
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
  - jonnathanson 12y ago
    IANAL, but as far as I am aware, international borders fall under federal jurisdiction, not state. U.S. Border Patrol is a federal organization, for instance. Since marijuana is still illegal under federal law, I'd imagine that Alaska state law couldn't protect you in the event of a seizure. I don't have any personal experience attempting to bring weed across a federal border point, but my gut tells me it's not a great idea. Feds are still gung-ho about enforcement. In a federal trial, penalty for possession (any amount) is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 1 year in jail. (Open to correction, enhancement, or clarification from anyone who is a lawyer, and/or who has experience in these matters).
    - mikestew 12y ago
      No need to be a lawyer, Washington residents have already been told not to try and bring back any BC bud across the border. EDIT: because one is entering the U.S. where it is illegal, not WA where it is legal. Once past the US border, one is then in the weed-friendly state of WA. /EDIT Conversely, our neighbors to the north have made it a point to remind WA residents that weed is still illegal in Canada. Source: stuff I tripped across while looking up border crossing procedure for a recent trip, which I could probably find again if I had to.
chaostheory 12y ago
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)
- waterlesscloud 12y ago
  It might as well be legal in California. The medical marijuana provision is so loose you can get a prescription for almost any reason whatsoever. And the number of dispensaries got so out of control that even LA backed off a little. Still, I have about 10 dispensaries within a 5 minute drive of me.
- evincarofautumn 12y ago
  Maybe illicit growers and sellers in those areas want to avoid government intervention in their process and profits? I have no idea how much voting power that industry has, though.
  - chaostheory 12y ago
    I don't feel that growers currently have much voting power or even enough money to influence elections.
    - sliverstorm 12y ago
      Maybe not the growers themselves, but there's a lot of money there, and I guarantee somewhere along the line it flows through the hands of people with wealth & power to protect.
      - mturmon 12y ago
nnx 12y ago
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.
Tiktaalik 12y ago
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.
- TheGeminon 12y ago
  Well, its not like BC can independently legalize/decriminalize it. All they can do is not enforce federal laws.
- jconn 12y ago
  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.
Lambdanaut 12y ago
An interesting but perhaps meaningless correlation: The areas legalizing marijuana first are all predominantly cold, mountainous states.
- abruzzi 12y ago
  Except DC which was built on a swamp.
vaadu 12y ago
Does this MJ legalization apply to the native Alaskan areas where alcohol possession is illegal?
- 1ris 12y ago
  I think it's now up the local legislative.
dmsinger 12y ago
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-alaska-438/ http://www.legalsource360.com/index.php/strange-laws-in-alas... Hope they're not left out, again.
- eric_h 12y ago
  > 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 12y ago
    I guess somebody actually experienced it, so they wrote down for good that it's a Bad Idea™.
josho 12y ago
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 12y ago
  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 12y ago
    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 12y ago
      '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.
orand 12y ago
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. ;-)
dbrannan 12y ago
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 12y ago
  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 12y ago
    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.
- vectorpush 12y ago
  > I live in Alaska as a high school teacher. It's still illegal unless you're 21 or over, so I'm not really sure why that would make your job as a high school teacher any more difficult.
  - dbrannan 12y ago
    It is true that small amounts of pot has been legal in Alaska, but my concern is geared towards greater accessibility. Now that it is legal and will be sold commercially it will be much easier for young adults to attain. Usually the youth will steal from their guardians, just like alcohol. I've been teaching 21 years and I can tell when a student has started smoking pot. When a young person begins smoking their grades usually drop and they do not seem to care. This may not be the case with adults, but it is VERY obvious when working with youth.
    - vectorpush 12y ago
gadders 12y ago
I look forward to the day they have a vote on PEDs.
weewooweewoo 12y ago
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.
carlchenet 12y ago
Gosh we're so far from it in France

319 points by lygi 12y ago

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.

japhyr 12y ago
That would certainly push the conversation on a national/ federal level. It seems most of the legalization efforts have focused on in-state use. If one of a state's primary goals was to become a producer serving other states, there would be pretty strong motivation to bring federal policy in line with what's happening at the state level.
wavefunction 12y ago
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 12y ago
  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.
toyg 12y ago
Won't prices eventually start to fall, though, the more legal it becomes? One much-repeated theory explaining support for the initial wave of prohibition was that weed (eh) was too easy to grow, and as such it was depressing prices for a number of other crops. If that's true, I would expect states where the agriculture sector still holds significant power, to be the staunchest bastions of prohibition.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  Why would it depress prices for other crops? The economic phenomena you're describing is called "replacement" but it's not like farmers aren't growing opium poppies because cannabis is so easy to grow.
  - toyg 12y ago
    Cannabis and opium poppies cannot be used to produce the same end-product. From what I understand, hemp can replace cotton in most end-products; being much easier to grow (and hence cheaper / more plentiful), it could potentially flood markets earlier reserved to cotton, hence depressing prices. Say you have two farmers; one grows cannabis, the other cotton. Because cannabis is easier to grow, the cannabis farmer has more stock to sell, and if demand from the drug market does not absorb it all, he'll try to sell it on the cotton market, potentially igniting a price war with the second farmer.
    - a_c_s 12y ago
      If cotton is an inferior crop, why would we want to keep planting so much of it? In this scenario where hemp & marijuana are legal, cotton farmers could start growing hemp too if that is more profitable.
      - dllthomas 12y ago
        There is a lot of different infrastructure for large scale cotton farming versus large scale hemp farming. Those heavily invested in the former have obvious incentive to keep it profitable rather than having to retool. That isn't to say that it's economically most efficient, but that it can certainly motivate propaganda and eventually legislation (and my understanding is that there's some historical evidence that this is what happened, but that it's not completely conclusive).
      - delecti 12y ago
        There are absurd amounts of cotton subsidies in this country, to the extent that it's cheaper to ship American grown cotton to factories where it's made into shirts. Typically the opposite happens, where we import crops (cocoa beans, etc) and make the products here to save money.
tuan5 12y ago
The whole country needs to legalize MJ. what a great plan to boost our depression!!
aaron-lebo 12y ago
It is so hard to say. Texas very much has a libertarian streak on the right and the cities are blue, but there are so many social conservatives around that it is hard to get a bead on how realistic that is.
- hkarthik 12y ago
  I've been in Texas 10 years, and I don't see this happening until things change at the federal level. Same with gay marriage. Things don't change in Texas until the tanks roll in.
seanalltogether 12y ago
Texas still has a lot of dry counties that would probably fight pretty hard against marijuana legalization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S....

eli 12y ago

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).

ericcumbee 12y ago
DC legalizing- Christmas came early for Late Night show writers and hosts.
- eli 12y ago
  I expect it to get a lot of play in the media. In addition to being the seat of government, DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. Although the change has already been passed (overwhelmingly) by referendum, the city council still has to submit the changes to Congress, which will have 60 days to veto them. Further, at any point in the future they can restrict what DC can do via amendments to must-pass spending bills.
  - shitehawk 12y ago
    >DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. That is true but most of the Northeast has decriminalized it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._st...
  - chimeracoder 12y ago
    > DC is the first place to vote for legalization on the East Coast. Well, DC is a city, and Portland, Maine actually already voted to legalize marijuana in 2013[0]. If DC were a state, it'd be the first state on the east coast, but it's not. It's the first city that is not part of a state (and therefore not subject to constitutional rights allowed states), which is what makes this case very interesting. DC is tricky because it's such a special case, but remember that it's much easier to pass an initiative at the city level than at the state level. [0] http://www.mpp.org/states/maine/ http://www.mpp.org/states/maine/

japhyr 12y ago

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#.VFpFQTR4pcQ http://juneauempire.com/local/2014-11-03/smoke-water#.VFpFQT...

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- jonnathanson 12y ago
  IANAL, but as far as I am aware, international borders fall under federal jurisdiction, not state. U.S. Border Patrol is a federal organization, for instance. Since marijuana is still illegal under federal law, I'd imagine that Alaska state law couldn't protect you in the event of a seizure. I don't have any personal experience attempting to bring weed across a federal border point, but my gut tells me it's not a great idea. Feds are still gung-ho about enforcement. In a federal trial, penalty for possession (any amount) is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 1 year in jail. (Open to correction, enhancement, or clarification from anyone who is a lawyer, and/or who has experience in these matters).
  - mikestew 12y ago
    No need to be a lawyer, Washington residents have already been told not to try and bring back any BC bud across the border. EDIT: because one is entering the U.S. where it is illegal, not WA where it is legal. Once past the US border, one is then in the weed-friendly state of WA. /EDIT Conversely, our neighbors to the north have made it a point to remind WA residents that weed is still illegal in Canada. Source: stuff I tripped across while looking up border crossing procedure for a recent trip, which I could probably find again if I had to.

chaostheory 12y ago

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)

waterlesscloud 12y ago
It might as well be legal in California. The medical marijuana provision is so loose you can get a prescription for almost any reason whatsoever. And the number of dispensaries got so out of control that even LA backed off a little. Still, I have about 10 dispensaries within a 5 minute drive of me.
evincarofautumn 12y ago
Maybe illicit growers and sellers in those areas want to avoid government intervention in their process and profits? I have no idea how much voting power that industry has, though.
- chaostheory 12y ago
  I don't feel that growers currently have much voting power or even enough money to influence elections.
  - sliverstorm 12y ago
    Maybe not the growers themselves, but there's a lot of money there, and I guarantee somewhere along the line it flows through the hands of people with wealth & power to protect.
    - mturmon 12y ago

nnx 12y ago

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.

Tiktaalik 12y ago

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.

TheGeminon 12y ago
Well, its not like BC can independently legalize/decriminalize it. All they can do is not enforce federal laws.
jconn 12y ago
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.

Lambdanaut 12y ago

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

abruzzi 12y ago
Except DC which was built on a swamp.

vaadu 12y ago

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

1ris 12y ago
I think it's now up the local legislative.

dmsinger 12y ago

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-alaska-438/ http://www.legalsource360.com/index.php/strange-laws-in-alas... Hope they're not left out, again.

eric_h 12y ago
> 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 12y ago
  I guess somebody actually experienced it, so they wrote down for good that it's a Bad Idea™.

josho 12y ago

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 12y ago
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 12y ago
  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 12y ago
    '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.

orand 12y ago

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. ;-)

dbrannan 12y ago

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 12y ago
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 12y ago
  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.
vectorpush 12y ago
> I live in Alaska as a high school teacher. It's still illegal unless you're 21 or over, so I'm not really sure why that would make your job as a high school teacher any more difficult.
- dbrannan 12y ago
  It is true that small amounts of pot has been legal in Alaska, but my concern is geared towards greater accessibility. Now that it is legal and will be sold commercially it will be much easier for young adults to attain. Usually the youth will steal from their guardians, just like alcohol. I've been teaching 21 years and I can tell when a student has started smoking pot. When a young person begins smoking their grades usually drop and they do not seem to care. This may not be the case with adults, but it is VERY obvious when working with youth.
  - vectorpush 12y ago

gadders 12y ago

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

weewooweewoo 12y ago

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.

carlchenet 12y ago

Gosh we're so far from it in France