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Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

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Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#151

Post by refurb »

nate_meurer wrote: post #101
refurb wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's true they have a financial incentive to maintain current drug laws, but those same incentives exist for many important roles. If someone comes up with a cure for cancer, a lot of oncologists are going to be out of a job. Does that mean that oncologists are actively suppressing cancer cures?

This might be the most useless analogy I have ever encountered. I'm sorry, I don't mean to attack you but I honestly have no idea what your point is. Corrections Corporation of America and other private prison companies openly fight efforts to relax drugs laws. Same for prison guard unions; In 2008 the CCPoA, California's largest prison guard union, was the most active opponent of Prop 5, which would have expanded tr…

I guess I'm questioning why the assumption is that they support drug laws because it makes them money. They may be supporting it for other reasons (strongly support law and order).

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#152

Post by TylerE »

smsm42 wrote: post #150
TylerE wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This cuts both ways.... do you really think, that, say, Mississippi, should be able to inact anything 51% of the voters vote for? It'd be back to the Jim Crow days.

We're talking not about "anything". We're talking about specific thing where the law enforcement enforces arbitrary prohibition against the will of the same people they pretend to protect. Comparing this to Jim Crow laws makes no sense - Jim Crow laws limited people's rights, legalization expands people's rights. Jim Crow laws was an arbitrary governmental restriction, legalization removes the arbitrary governmental…

30 years spent living in the deep south. Maybe it wouldn't hit 51% but I guarantee you it would be a lot higher than 10%. You're also assuming equal voter turnout and no voter suppresion. These are both, shall we say, optimistic.

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#153

Post by eli »

showerst wrote: post #123
mikeash wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it easier to pass an initiative in a city than in a state with a similar population? DC proper has a similar population to states like Wyoming and Vermont.

Still yes; DC has a 14 member city council that meets frequently with a long legislative session, and a mayor. Even the smallest states have a few hundred legislators in 2 houses, and much shorter legislative calendars to get things done in.

These are ballot initiatives that didn't go through the legislature. And for what it's worth, DC doesn't make it especially easy to get something on the ballot.

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#154

Post by josho »

adventured wrote: post #135
themartorana wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

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…

'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.

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#155

Post by crazypyro »

mturmon wrote: post #109
chaostheory wrote: post #32

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, Gilr…

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 establi…

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.)

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#157

Post by mikecb »

jdmichal wrote: post #20
japhyr wrote: post #7

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 Coas…

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.).

The Coast Guard has a very interesting set of law enforcement, military, and regulatory authorities.

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#158

Post by dbrannan »

vectorpush wrote: post #147
dbrannan wrote: post #119

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.

> 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.

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.

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#159

Post by jcomis »

mturmon wrote: post #109
chaostheory wrote: post #32

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, Gilr…

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 establi…

I'm not sure I buy that. Colorado also passed medical before full legalization and basically was in the same situation as CA in terms of medical dispensaries opening everywhere, run mostly by "out of towners".

Re: Alaskans vote to legalize marijuana

#160

Post by aaronbrethorst »

josho wrote: post #91

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…

    The biggest players in the anti-marijuana
    legalization movement are pharmaceutical,
    alcohol and beer companies, private prison
    corporations and police unions, all of whom
    help fund lobby groups that challenge
    marijuana law reform.
http://www.ibtimes.com/marijuana-legalization-pharmaceutical...
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