Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 2015
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2015 Alaska Dispatch Publishing
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14
Author: Scott Woodham

WILL I BE ABLE TO BRING CANNABIS BACK TO ALASKA FROM ANOTHER LEGAL STATE?

Highly Informed reader Jonathan wonders, "Would we be able to buy 
weed from out of state and ship it home or take it with us?"

Even though it will be legal for people over 21 to possess and 
transport limited amounts of marijuana in Alaska after Feb. 24, 
importing it from somewhere else with legal pot to any degree will 
still be a no-no.

The laws of both Washington and Colorado say that all the marijuana 
produced there legally is for in-state consumption, but federal law 
also says that cannabis is still illegal. That includes transporting 
it across state lines, whether in person or by mail, and that 
currently applies to transporting it between states that have 
legalized it as well.

It will also still be illegal to transport marijuana across 
international borders like the one Alaska shares with Canada. Border 
control policies in both Canada and the U.S. bar the importation of 
any quantity of marijuana, and that was unchanged by Alaska's 
approval of Ballot Measure 2.

In August 2013, Deputy Attorney General James Cole issued a memo to 
clarify for U.S. Attorneys around the country the federal enforcement 
of marijuana law in states with legal marijuana. In states with 
strong and effective regulatory systems in place, the memo says, 
state-legal sales, growth and transport would not be a priority. But, 
it says, federal prosecutors would still be on the look out for a 
list of violations, one of which is "preventing the diversion of 
marijuana from states where it's legal under state law in some form 
to other states."

It seems important to note that Cole said "other states" there, not 
something like, "other states except those where it's also legal in 
some form." Naturally people are free to make their own choices, but 
be advised that despite legalization in Alaska, crossing borders with 
any amount of marijuana remains risky behavior that could result in 
criminal or civil consequences.

Have a question about marijuana news or culture in Alaska? Send it to  with "Highly Informed" in the subject line.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom