Pubdate: Sat, 13 Sep 2003
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2003 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Author: Dirk R. Nelson

WAR ON MARIJUANA UNCONSTITUTIONAL; OFFICIALS SHOULD UPHOLD THE LAW

In Mr. Barton's letter "Appeals Court ruling on marijuana places police 
agencies at odds" (Sept. 9) he exemplifies part of the problem in police 
forces today.

Surely Mr. Barton, being a law enforcement officer, knows something about 
constitutional and legal processes. Therefore I assume he also knows a 
constitutional right cannot be voted in or out with a simple voter initiative.

The Ravin decision has been the supreme law in Alaska concerning adult 
possession of small amounts of cannabis in the home since 1975.

When Gov. Steve Cowper signed the unlawful recriminalization into statute 
in 1990, he said, "This is probably unconstitutional." No one amongst the 
many observers asked the obvious question, "Why then, as governor, having 
sworn an oath to uphold Alaska's laws, are you signing it?"

For 13 years Alaskans endured violations of their state constitutional 
right to privacy, rarely if ever defending themselves from the unlawful 
armed invasions of their privacy. They listened as the state spewed 
untruths about the harms of cannabis as justification for the waste caused 
by the war on (some) drugs; destroyed families and futures.

Ravin is the law, and the Anchorage Police Department and other agencies 
can either uphold it or find new jobs and face charges of malicious 
prosecution.

"When those who swear an oath to uphold the law, instead choose to violate 
the law, then there is no law."

Dirk R. Nelson

Ester
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens