ALASKA: Tougher marijuana restrictions advance

[Psycho4Bud]

JUNEAU -- A legislative conference committee on Wednesday denied one last attempt to remove tougher restrictions on marijuana possession from a drug bill before approving a final version of the measure.


The bill is meant to curb the manufacture of methamphetamine and give the state the legal artillery to overturn Alaska Supreme Court decisions that have made the state's marijuana laws among the most lenient in the nation.

The final bill now goes back to the House and Senate for ratification before heading to Gov. Frank Murkowski for his signature.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7622786p-7534471c.html


Damn! I was half thinkin' on moving there to!!:mad:

[Psycho4Bud]

00 SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 149(FIN) am S(ct rule fld S)
01 "An Act relating to controlled substances; relating to the crimes of manslaughter,
02 endangering the welfare of a child, and misconduct involving a controlled substance;
03 relating to the manufacture of methamphetamine and to the sale, possession, and
04 delivery of certain substances and precursors used in the manufacture of
05 methamphetamine; relating to listing certain anabolic steroids as controlled substances;
06 and providing for an effective date."
07 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
08 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section
09 to read:
10 PURPOSE OF SECS. 7 - 10. The purpose of secs. 7 - 10 of this Act is to protect the
11 health and safety of persons in this state and to provide legislative findings concerning this
12 Act regarding marijuana and its effects in this state.
13 * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to
01 read:
02 FINDINGS FOR SECS. 7 - 10. The type of marijuana available in the United States
03 and Alaska today, and the changes in the patterns of usage of the drug, particularly by young
04 Alaskans, Alaska Natives and those undergoing alcohol treatment, pose a threat to the public
05 health and welfare that justifies prohibiting possession in this state, even by adults at home. In
06 this Act, the legislature has considered its duty to implement the right to privacy in art. I, sec.
07 22, Constitution of the State of Alaska, and its duty to promote the public health and welfare
08 in art. VII, sec. 4, Constitution of the State of Alaska. The legislature has also considered its
09 obligation to carry out the intent of the voters of Alaska in recriminalizing marijuana by ballot
10 initiative in 1990, and in defeating ballot initiatives to again decriminalize marijuana in 2000
11 and 2004. To assist the courts in considering these issues, the legislature further finds that
12 (1) the potency of marijuana has increased dramatically since the 1960s and
13 1970s; the national average amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main
14 psychoactive ingredient, was less than one percent then, but increased steadily in the 1980s
15 and 1990s, and by 2003 was six times higher, at 6.4 percent; marijuana grown and available in
16 Alaska is much more potent than the national average, and has been tested with THC levels
17 over 20 percent; the average potency of Alaska marijuana for the period 1993-2003 was over
18 10 percent and for 2003 was nearly 14 percent; Alaska marijuana today commands hundreds
19 of dollars per ounce on the illegal market and is often sold in smaller amounts within the price
20 range of teenagers; the increasing potency of marijuana corresponds to an increase in
21 substance abuse treatment admissions, particularly youth 12 - 17 years of age, and in the
22 number of persons seeking emergency medical care due to marijuana-related incidents;
23 (2) several hundred adults and children are admitted into treatment each year
24 in Alaska for marijuana abuse, with more than half being children under 18 years of age;
25 pregnant women in Alaska use marijuana at a higher rate than the national average;
26 (3) there is evidence that many users become dependent on marijuana under
27 the clinical standards applied by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
28 IV; studies have shown that use of marijuana and withdrawal from marijuana affect some of
29 the same neurochemical processes as known addictive drugs; Marijuana Anonymous chapters
30 to treat marijuana addicts exist in a majority of states in the country. This is persuasive
31 evidence of marijuana's potential for users becoming dependent on it. Currently, one-third of
01 all persons in Alaska treated for drug and alcohol problems are treated for marijuana abuse;
02 (4) early exposure of young people to marijuana increases the likelihood of
03 lifelong health and social problems, makes it more likely that the person will later use more
04 potent illegal drugs, and is associated with depression and an increased risk of attempting
05 suicide;
06 (5) a high percentage of persons in treatment for alcohol abuse also abuse
07 marijuana; although the relationship between marijuana and alcohol and other drugs is not
08 fully understood, there is a correlative effect that makes it more difficult to treat alcoholism
09 when marijuana is also used;
10 (6) marijuana consists of hundreds of different chemicals and can affect
11 almost every organ and system in the body, including the lymph system, the heart, and the
12 lungs; THC binds to receptors in the brain that should otherwise bind to naturally occurring
13 brain chemicals; marijuana can affect memory, attention, judgment, and other cognitive
14 functions and can impair motor coordination, time perception, and balance; marijuana smoke
15 contains more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke; marijuana often contains
16 bacteria or fungus that are dangerous to humans, and is harvested and sold without removing
17 pesticides and fungicides;
18 (7) a high percentage of persons arrested in this state, including adults and
19 juveniles who commit violent offenses, have marijuana in their system at the time of the
20 arrest; the percentage is particularly high for adults arrested for domestic violence who test
21 positive for marijuana at the time of the arrest;
22 (8) if a parent uses marijuana, their children are four to five times more likely
23 to become marijuana users; many high school students report that they have been able to get
24 marijuana at home or from a relative; criminal penalties for possession of marijuana in the
25 home will deter possession by adults and reduce its availability and accessibility to children;
26 studies have shown that criminal penalties for possession of marijuana are effective in
27 increasing the perception among teenagers of the risks of using the drug, thus reducing its use
28 by young people;
29 (9) in Noy v. State, 83 P.3d 538 (Alaska App. 2003), the Alaska court of
30 appeals allowed any person over 17 years of age to possess up to four ounces of marijuana in
31 their home; at the same time, the court held that possession of four ounces could legitimately
01 be prohibited even in the home because it was reasonable for the legislature to conclude in
02 1982 that possession of four ounces is indicative of an intent to sell; the street value of
03 marijuana today is between $350 and $550 per ounce; the legislature heard evidence that
04 possession of four ounces or more indicates an intent to distribute; and therefore this is the
05 appropriate amount to justify a felony offense; the Noy decision also led the same court in
06 Crocker v. State, 97 P.3d 93 (Alaska App. 2004) to invalidate search warrants for commercial
07 marijuana-growing and, in the words of the dissenting chief judge, make it "difficult for the
08 state to enforce legitimate laws prohibiting the sale and possession of marijuana."
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill_text.asp?hsid=HB0149G&session=24

Unreal!!!!:mad:

[Euphoric]

I was just about to move there too!! I was making all the preparations then the next day this happened

[Euphoric]

The good news is that they can create laws to turn it around just as easily. I dont see these measures being in place for too long.

[Gumby]

their governor won't be elected again and he knows it... he's stolen millions from americans and i think he's just trying to push his dumb idiology before he gets kicked out... sad to see alaska moving the other way, but atleast it is still legal and they haven't gone completely crazy.

My question to you all is why move? that's not very activist. Why not try to change the law in your state instead? I know it's easier to move to a place that it already legal, but wouldn't it make more sense to just change the people around you??

the ripple theory... it's better to throw a bunch of small pebbles in the pond because thier ripples will meet at some point and cause greater ripples which cause greater ripples and so on... throw one stone in a you just get a big splash. Alaska made a big splash, but there were very few ripples that came from it. Let's make some small changes around the whole U.S. and cause a great wave of change...

[Sauce]

their governor won't be elected again and he knows it... he's stolen millions from americans and i think he's just trying to push his dumb idiology before he gets kicked out... sad to see alaska moving the other way, but atleast it is still legal and they haven't gone completely crazy.

My question to you all is why move? that's not very activist. Why not try to change the law in your state instead? I know it's easier to move to a place that it already legal, but wouldn't it make more sense to just change the people around you??

the ripple theory... it's better to throw a bunch of small pebbles in the pond because thier ripples will meet at some point and cause greater ripples which cause greater ripples and so on... throw one stone in a you just get a big splash. Alaska made a big splash, but there were very few ripples that came from it. Let's make some small changes around the whole U.S. and cause a great wave of change...

I aggree 100%, Nice theory by the way :thumbsup:. I think we all need to make our voice heard by each state and to try and make a change!

[Myth1184]

HAHAHA, you actually think stoners are gona vote this guy out of office? You guys overestimate the number of stoners in Alaska.

[Gumby]

it's not about being a stoner, or being allowed to smoke... it's about taking our freedom to chose what we want to do back.

"Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."

-- Abraham Lincoln, December, 1840

"If people let government decide which foods they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson