Pubdate: Thu, 06 Mar 2014
Source: Alaska Dispatch (AK)
Contact:  2014 Alaska Dispatch
Website: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5434
Author: Laurel Andrews

TO LEGALIZE, OR NOT: BALLOT MEASURE TO LEGALIZE RECREATIONAL 
MARIJUANA DEBATED AT UAA

A week after the ballot measure to legalize, tax and regulate 
marijuana in Alaska was officially certified, five speakers debated 
issues surrounding the initiative to hundreds who had gathered at the 
Wendy Williamson Auditorium at the University of Alaska Anchorage 
Wednesday evening.

The event, sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and Justice Club, 
began with keynote speaker Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the 
Drug Policy Alliance, giving an impassioned speech about drug policy 
in the United States. Calling the war on drugs a "rat hole of waste," 
Nadelmann paced the stage, microphone in hand, to the applause of 
several hundred audience members, many of whom were in their 20s and 30s.

Many in the audience clapped during segments of his opening speech, 
and throughout the debate, when he returned to certain points -- 
calling marijuana prohibition "grounded in bigotry, prejudice and 
ignorance" -- they would applaud again.

He asked audience members to raise their hands if they planned to 
vote yes on the initiative, which will appear on the Aug. 19 ballot, 
and about 70 percent of the audience raised their hands.

"Drugs are here to stay," Nadelmann said in his opening speech. 
"That's the fact of the matter whether we like it or not."

The panel -- made up of three pro-initiative speakers and two against 
the ballot measure -- all agreed, to some extent, that the use of 
cannabis in Alaska is here to stay. But how to address marijuana 
usage, and whether legalization would increase the number of Alaskans 
smoking, was hotly debated during the two hour discussion.

The panel touched on some of the most contentious issues surrounding 
the marijuana debate: taxation and revenue, driving under the 
influence, underage access to cannabis products, and mental health issues.

The issue of taxation and revenue was touched upon first by Ben Cort, 
the project director with Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He argued 
that the wording of the initiative would invite multi-million dollar 
companies that would sweep through the state, commencing aggressive 
marketing and bringing along super-potent products that would be 
marketed towards, and dangerous to, underage users.

Citing Alaska's murky marijuana legal status, Cort said that the 
Alaska initiative was not about legalization -- but about big 
business, and "protecting commercial interests."

Representative for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Taylor Bickford 
called that representation of the initiative the "demonization of 
free enterprise," and questioned how inviting industry into the state 
could be negative for the economy. Marijuana sales already exist, he 
argued. The state should "regulate it in a way Alaskans can actually benefit."

The panel also discussed the issue of driving while under the 
influence, which the state predicts will increase if cannabis is 
legalized. Lance Buchholtz, a retired Wisconsin sheriff, who attended 
the discussion representing Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, 
stated that he was "not going to sit here and condone" driving under 
the influence, but wasn't convinced that number would increase should 
marijuana be legalized.

Nadelmann stated that "it's impossible to say" whether the number of 
drivers would increase, but stated that stoned drivers "were not like 
drunk drivers," and that experienced cannabis users tended only to 
drive too slowly, or perhaps "forget a little where they were 
headed." Alcohol was much more disruptive, he said -- the real risk 
would be drivers who were both stoned and drunk, or for new users 
smoking more than usual.

Former chief assistant attorney general for the state of Alaska Dean 
Guaneli said that the problem with driving stoned is it's hard to 
test for -- blood tests are inconsistent, he stated, and that makes 
detecting stoned drivers a difficult task for police officers.

The discussion later turned to whether children and teenagers would 
be more likely to start smoking if cannabis were legalized, and 
whether legalization would have a negative impact on the realm of 
public health.

Guaneli argued that while teenagers already have access to marijuana, 
bringing in commercial interests with advertising that appeals to 
children would lead to more kids using it. More dependence would lead 
to more problems with treatment within the mental health system. The 
revenue collected wouldn't be worth it, he argued. "Why take the 
risk? What is there to be gained?" he asked.

Nadelmann disagreed, arguing that states that have decriminalized 
cannabis have seen a drop in adolescent users. For teenagers, buying 
marijuana is currently easier than purchasing alcohol, he said. Any 
teenager that wants to use cannabis is already able to, he said.

Cort argued that the likelihood that someone with mental health 
issues suffers a psychotic break increases six-fold if they are 
regular marijuana users. He stated that for folks who start smoking 
as adults, 1 in 11 develop issues with marijuana dependence.

Bickford argued that for those 1 in 11 people, marijuana abuse was 
"not all that bad" compared to alcohol.

A week after the ballot measure to legalize, tax and regulate 
marijuana in Alaska was officially certified, five speakers debated 
issues surrounding the initiative to hundreds who had gathered at the 
Wendy Williamson Auditorium at the University of Alaska Anchorage 
Wednesday evening.

The event, sponsored by the UAA Justice Center and Justice Club, 
began with keynote speaker Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the 
Drug Policy Alliance, giving an impassioned speech about drug policy 
in the United States. Calling the war on drugs a "rat hole of waste," 
Nadelmann paced the stage, microphone in hand, to the applause of 
several hundred audience members, many of whom were in their 20s and 30s.

RELATED: State estimates new costs if recreational marijuana 
legalized Alaska entrepreneurs look ahead to marijuana legalization vote

Many in the audience clapped during segments of his opening speech, 
and throughout the debate, when he returned to certain points -- 
calling marijuana prohibition "grounded in bigotry, prejudice and 
ignorance" -- they would applaud again.

He asked audience members to raise their hands if they planned to 
vote yes on the initiative, which will appear on the Aug. 19 ballot, 
and about 70 percent of the audience raised their hands.

"Drugs are here to stay," Nadelmann said in his opening speech. 
"That's the fact of the matter whether we like it or not."

The panel -- made up of three pro-initiative speakers and two against 
the ballot measure -- all agreed, to some extent, that the use of 
cannabis in Alaska is here to stay. But how to address marijuana 
usage, and whether legalization would increase the number of Alaskans 
smoking, was hotly debated during the two hour discussion.

The panel touched on some of the most contentious issues surrounding 
the marijuana debate: taxation and revenue, driving under the 
influence, underage access to cannabis products, and mental health issues.

The issue of taxation and revenue was touched upon first by Ben Cort, 
the project director with Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He argued 
that the wording of the initiative would invite multi-million dollar 
companies that would sweep through the state, commencing aggressive 
marketing and bringing along super-potent products that would be 
marketed towards, and dangerous to, underage users.

Citing Alaska's murky marijuana legal status, Cort said that the 
Alaska initiative was not about legalization -- but about big 
business, and "protecting commercial interests."

Representative for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Taylor Bickford 
called that representation of the initiative the "demonization of 
free enterprise," and questioned how inviting industry into the state 
could be negative for the economy. Marijuana sales already exist, he 
argued. The state should "regulate it in a way Alaskans can actually benefit."

On the topic of public health, event moderator Jason Brandeis asked 
Guaneli whether Alaska's criminal drug laws should shift to more of a 
treatment model.

Guaneli stated that marijuana possession cases are not the priority 
for law enforcement. "Marijuana cases in Alaska are simply not a 
problem that needs to be addressed," he said. Problems surrounding 
the consumption of alcohol were different, he stated. And while 
alcohol is already taxed and regulated, it still remains a huge issue 
for Alaska, he said. "That means we're doing a terrible job," 
regulating the industry, he said. The alcohol and tobacco industry, 
with their deep pocket books and lobbyists, influence the public sector.

"Why would we want to have a third industry growing up like that?" 
Guaneli asked.

Brandeis, fielding a question from an audience member, asked 
Nadelmann why the state doesn't just wait to see how legalization 
pans out in Colorado and Washington. "There's no reason to wait," 
Nadelmann said. He stated that Alaska was "part of the national wave" 
of shifting opinion regarding cannabis use.

Bickford stated that "public opinion has changed really rapidly," 
mainly along generational divides, with younger folks leaning heavily 
toward legalization. He urged the audience to register to vote at a 
booth set up on the main floor of the auditorium for the event.

Guaenli and Cort maintained that Alaska should wait and see how 
legalization pans out in Colorado before enacting similar legislation.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom