Tuesday, Feb. 24th: Alaska Marijuana Legalization Law Takes Effect In First ‘Red’ State to Legalize Marijuana, Possession and Cultivation
Become Legal; Commercial Retail Sales to Begin in 2016; Bipartisan
Consensus Accelerates Momentum to Legalize Marijuana and End Drug
War
NEW YORK—(ENEWSPF)—February 23, 2015. Tomorrow, Feb. 24 , will mark a major step forward in
the implementation of Alaska’s marijuana legalization law, as personal cultivation, possession, and
consumption become legal. Last November, Alaskans voted 53-47% in favor of marijuana legalization,
making it the first “red” state to pass such a law.
“First Colorado and Washington, now Alaska and Oregon – and all with
levels of support higher than the winning candidates for governor and U.S.
Senate achieved in those states,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director
of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Legalizing marijuana just makes sense now to
voters across the political spectrum and – as we’ll likely see in 2016 –
across the country.”
Starting tomorrow, it will be legal for someone 21 years of age or over to
possess up to an ounce of marijuana, grow up to six marijuana plants in
their homes (provided that only three of them are mature at any time),
and to share up to 1 ounce of marijuana with someone 21 or over and
give them up to six immature marijuana plants. Private consumption will
be completely legal for those 21 and over, though public consumption
remains illegal.
Commercial marijuana businesses that grow, process, bake, or sell
marijuana products won’t be able to legally operate until spring or summer
of 2016. In January, the Alaska legislature began working to bring existing
criminal statutes into line with the voter initiative. Tuesday marks the
beginning of a nine-month rulemaking process during which the
regulations for marijuana businesses will be developed and refined. Under
the provisions of the voter initiative, the state is expected to begin
accepting applications for operating permits by February 2016, a full year
from now. This timeline was clearly defined in the voter initiative and, so far, the process is on
schedule.
Alaska’s new law is expected to increase law enforcement resources available to focus on dangerous
and violent crime. Once retail sales begin next year, the law is also expected to bolster the state’s
economy by creating jobs and generating new revenue, as marijuana sales will be conducted by
legitimate, tax-paying businesses that test their products and require proof of age.
November’s election solidified drug policy reform’s place as a mainstream political issue, as voters
across the country accelerated the unprecedented momentum to legalize marijuana and end the
wider drug war. Marijuana legalization measures passed in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.,
while groundbreaking criminal justice reforms passed in California and New Jersey. These successes
are boosting efforts already underway in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine,
Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere to end marijuana prohibition.
