Pubdate: Mon, 20 Oct 2014
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2014 Alaska Dispatch Publishing
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14
Author: Ron McCoy

POT MEASURE LACKS CRITICAL INFORMATION

Really? We keep waiting to hear revenue projections associated with 
the proposed commercialization of marijuana in Alaska. The spokesman 
for the Vote Yes on Ballot Measure 2 campaign said that it would be 
"wildly irresponsible" to make an estimate on how much money 
commercializing marijuana would bring into Alaska. (ADN 9/11/14) 
Here's what is "wildly irresponsible." It is wildly irresponsible to 
ask Alaskans to vote for something when you refuse to provide 
critically important information about it.

We already know that it will cost our state government up to $7 
million to legalize marijuana and an additional $6 million to local 
governments for increased costs to police. That's just the start of 
the costs. Ca-ching. If you look at what is going on in Colorado you 
see more emergency room visits, more homelessness, more crime, more 
problems with smoking marijuana in schools, more suspensions, and the 
list goes on.

The Vote Yes folks are asking us to buy a pig in a poke. Maybe all 
those outside funders like the Marijuana Policy Project think 
Alaskans are too stupid to ask critically important questions like 
"how much?" I'm not, and I don't think other Alaskans are either.

- - Ron McCoy

Anchorage
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom