Pubdate: Sun, 01 Mar 2015
Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Copyright: 2015 The Commercial Appeal
Contact: http://web.commercialappeal.com/newgo/forms/letters.htm
Website: http://www.commercialappeal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/95
Author: Niraj Chokshi, Washington Post

DECRIMINALIZATION, EVEN LEGALIZATION OF POT SPREADS

It officially became legal to consume and grow marijuana in Alaska on Tuesday.

That means the state is the third to legalize the drug in as many 
years, but it is hardly the last. Voters in Oregon and Washington, 
D.C., have also approved legalization, and advocates plan to take 
advantage of shifting public opinion to target other states this year and next.

Here's a look at how the patchwork of existing laws compare, 
according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which played pivotal roles 
in passing some of the legalization laws.

Q: Can marijuana be consumed in public?

A: No. Consumption is also limited to adults 21 years of age or older.

Q: How much can an individual possess?

A: In all four states, adults may possess up to an ounce of the drug 
in public. In the District of Columbia, the limit is 2 ounces.

Q: When were all these laws approved?

A: Legalization was approved by voters in Colorado and Washington 
during the 2012 elections and the remaining states and D.C. in the 
2014 elections.

Q: When do/did all these laws go into effect?

A: Legalization of possession went into effect in December 2012 in 
Colorado and Washington. It began Tuesday in Alaska and will begin 
July 1 in Oregon.

Retail sales began Jan. 1, 2014, in Colorado and July 8, 2014, in 
Washington. Rules must be drafted within nine months of the effective 
date in Alaska, meaning they can be expected by the end of the year. 
In Oregon, the state will begin accepting applications for marijuana 
businesses on Jan. 4, 2016.

Congress blocked the District from establishing new rules regulating 
the sales of marijuana, but D.C. officials say that federal action 
did not stop the initiative. As a result, possession of 2 ounces of 
pot become legal at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, with the support of Mayor 
Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

"Marijuana smokers are not going to attack and kill a cop," Lanier 
said. "They just want to get a bag of chips and relax. Alcohol is a 
much bigger problem."

Q: Who oversees the industry?

A: In Alaska, Oregon and Washington, marijuana will be overseen by 
the state liquor control boards. In Colorado, the Department of 
Revenue oversees the program.

Q: How is marijuana taxed?

A: In Alaska, a wholesale excise tax of $50 per ounce will be 
collected on all marijuana. In Colorado, the state collects a 15 
percent wholesale excise tax and a 10 percent sales tax on marijuana.

In Oregon, flowers will be taxed at $35 an ounce, immature plants at 
$5 per plant and leaves at $10 an ounce, all of which will be 
adjusted with inflation.

Washington levies a 25 percent excise tax at three levels: producer 
to processor, processor to retailer and retailer to consumer. Q: 
What's next? A: The Marijuana Policy Project has established 
committees to pursue legalization on the 2016 ballot in a number of 
states, such as Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. 
And it has plans to pursue legalization through the legislature in other states.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom