Pubdate: Wed, 16 Jul 2014
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2014 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact: http://www.adn.com/help/letters/
Website: http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Author: Laurel Andrews

SMALL CROWD, BIG NAMES AT FIRST FUNDRAISER FOR ANTI-MARIJUANA 
LEGALIZATION GROUP

On Tuesday evening, a smattering of former and current Alaska 
politicians attended the first fundraising event for "Big Marijuana. 
Big Mistake. Vote No on 2" -- the group opposing the Nov. 4 ballot 
measure to legalize, tax and regulate recreational marijuana -- 
bringing in about $12,000 for the anti-legalization campaign.

Roughly 50 people gathered for the fundraiser at the downtown 
Anchorage home of Deborah Williams, the deputy treasurer of the 
opposition group. The event came on the same day the Alaska Native 
Village CEO Association added its voice to the debate, deciding to 
oppose the ballot measure.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski spoke before the crowd, as did fellow 
former Gov. Bill Sheffield and Iditarod musher Mike Williams of 
Akiak, chairperson of Vote No on 2. All voiced concerns over the 
ballot measure, which they said would create new challenges in a 
state that already struggles with substance abuse issues.

"This initiative is extreme. This initiative is harmful," Deborah 
Williams told the crowd.

State Reps. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River; Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage; 
and Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, were among the attendees.

"I have more Republicans here than I've ever had at my house in my 
life," Williams, the former head of the Alaska Democratic Party, 
joked later in the evening.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker showed up to the 
event later in the evening, as others began filing out.

"I'm going to vote no. It's as simple as that," Walker said.

Fundraising and outreach efforts

Alaska Regional Hospital gave $5,000 to the Vote No on 2 group at 
Tuesday's event. All told, the fundraiser brought in $12,000, 
Williams said Wednesday, with more donations coming in online.

The opposition group had filed $27,750 in prior donations, bringing 
total contributions up to roughly $40,000 following the fundraiser. 
The largest single donation thus far was from Chenega Corp., an 
Alaska Native village corporation, which donated $25,000 in June.

Vote No on 2 lags far behind fundraising efforts of the group backing 
the initiative, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in 
Alaska, which in late June spent $300,000 on television advertising 
space. The pro-legalization campaign had listed roughly $500,000 in 
contributions as of Wednesday, mostly from the national group 
Marijuana Policy Project.

Campaign to Regulate Marijuana spokesperson Taylor Bickford said that 
the broadcast rates are "extremely expensive this cycle," given the 
amped-up Senate race dominating television ad time. "We're in a 
landscape where it's a bit harder to cut through the noise."

"We're gonna raise and spend whatever it takes to win the campaign," 
Bickford reiterated Tuesday. "There's no question that we're in the 
driver's seat."

Williams told attendees on Tuesday "we know we're gonna be outspent 
dramatically by the other side," and noted that she had not even 
purchased simple outreach supplies such as lawn signs.

"But we do have buttons," she said.

On Tuesday the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska 
sent out a press release chiding the opposition's fundraising event. 
The release, which noted that Murkowski had received roughly $20,000 
in contributions from members of the alcohol industry during his 
tenure as governor, also drew parallels between the regulation of 
alcohol and proposed regulation of marijuana.

"We're surprised Gov. Murkowski didn't learn about the harms of 
prohibition from his friends in the alcohol industry," Chris Rempert, 
the group's political director, said in the release. "He should 
explain why he supports 'legalized, commercialized, and 
industrialized' alcohol, yet opposes doing the same with a less 
harmful substance."

The release also warned guests "that the host might offer them 
alcohol, a substance that government studies and scientific research 
have concluded is more harmful than marijuana to the consumer and to society."

Williams blasted the press release, calling it an "ad hominem attack 
on Gov. Murkowski" that was "unwarranted and mean spirited." No 
alcohol was served at the event.

Another voice joins the debate Opponents of the measure argue that 
Outside industry would flood the state should recreational marijuana 
use become legalized. They argue that the societal and health costs, 
as well as costs to the state, far outweigh any potential revenues. 
Fear that legalized marijuana would lead to increased substance abuse 
issues, especially in youth, was a theme echoed among Tuesday's 
attendees. "I am very, extremely worried," Mike Williams said.

Murkowski argued for "prudence," stating that Alaska would be better 
served waiting to see how legalized recreational marijuana plays out 
in Washington and Colorado.

Supporters of the initiative say that marijuana prohibition has 
failed. Recreational marijuana legalization is working in Colorado 
and Washington, they say. Supporters argue that legalizing 
recreational marijuana use would bring in hefty revenues to the 
state's coffers, drive down the black market and save the state money 
on unnecessary incarcerations.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Native Village CEO Association on Tuesday wrote 
a letter in opposition of the initiative.

"Ballot measure 2 is an extreme measure that would legalize not only 
marijuana but would also have potent and dangerous chemical 
concentrates and drug-infused edibles that appeal to children," the 
letter states. ANVCA is made up of nine board members and represents 
more than 80 village corporations, administrative manager Nichola Ruedy said.

"We felt that if Alaska was to legalize marijuana it would have a big 
impact on Alaska Natives in rural Alaska," Ruedy said. "It would be 
harder to regulate a lot of the villages" and eliminate the local 
option for communities, she said, as Alaskans could freely transport 
marijuana and marijuana products to villages.

Bickford said Wednesday that Alaskans can already grow marijuana in 
their homes in any community under the 1975 Alaska Supreme Court 
decision in Ravin v. State. Under the initiative language, 
communities can opt out of the sale of marijuana.

"They'll have a situation which is fundamentally no different than 
the situation we have today," he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom