Ravin 1/1/1997 - 31/12/2024
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1US AK: Public Invited to Weigh in on First Draft of AlaskaThu, 21 May 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Andrews, Laurel Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:05/21/2015

The public can now weigh in on Alaska's first round of proposed marijuana regulations.

Local option law and marijuana definitions are the focus of the first wave of regulations, unveiled at the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board's meeting in April.

The proposed definitions include basics like what constitutes a "marijuana plant" and "edible marijuana product," but also what it means to "possess" a plant or help someone grow marijuana.

The definition of possession could affect how many plants are allowed per household. Under Ballot Measure 2, the initiative that legalized marijuana in the state, a person is allowed to possess six marijuana plants. But under the proposed regulations, if marijuana plants are in a person's home, they are potentially in that person's possession, regardless of the number of residents. That would mean only six plants would be allowed in the home, instead of six plants per adult living there.

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2US AK: State Board Proposes Alaska's First MarijuanaFri, 01 May 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Andrews, Laurel Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:05/02/2015

Alaska's first draft marijuana regulations, proposed Thursday during an Alcoholic Beverage Control Board meeting in Anchorage, address what it means to help someone grow marijuana and what local-option law will look like.

The meeting at the downtown Legislative Information Office attracted about two dozen spectators, who lined a large conference room, surrounding board members and agency staff at a table in the center of the room.

A general sense of optimism prevailed among the audience members, many of whom hoped to start marijuana businesses.

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3US AK: Column: Did Alaska's Vote to Legalize Change Rules forThu, 26 Mar 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Woodham, Scott Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:03/27/2015

The question this week comes from Doug: "Hello, I'm a smoker considering a Section 8 voucher. I suppose its up to the individual landlord, though the Alaska housing authority could have some policy already in place. Any idea? Will I be allowed to possess, use or grow in Section 8 housing?"

The answer here is similar to the previous installment of Highly Informed that dealt with landlords, tenants and cannabis. On one hand - -- the hand that matters most -- nothing is different. Housing assistance rules still depend on federal definitions of illegal drugs. And it'll still be up to the landlord and tenant to agree on rules and make them clear in a lease, and then up to the tenant to abide by them and the landlord to enforce them. But on the other hand, there are interesting complications to think about that stem from the fresh dissonance between Alaska and federal law.

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4 US AK: Senators Say Alaska Puts Itself at Risk With MarijuanaWed, 04 Mar 2015
Source:Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK) Author:Buxton, Matt Area:Alaska Lines:99 Added:03/04/2015

JUNEAU - The debate in the state capital building about Alaska's new marijuana law has caused some conservatives to side with an entity they generally abhor - the federal government.

In the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday lawmakers who have spent much of the session pounding their chests over federal overreach pointed to federal laws for proof that marijuana is still illegal, regardless of what voters did last year.

"Marijuana is illegal in this state because it's against federal law," said Sen. Pete Kelly, R-Fairbanks. "I think the people of Alaska were lied to on that point. I think it needs to be clarified on the record that it's against federal law and nothing we do here is going to change federal law."

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5US AK: OPED: Sorry, High Rollers: Marijuana Is Nowhere LegalSat, 28 Feb 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Coe, Kevin Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:03/01/2015

I hate to be the party pooper but I feel there is a need to point out that the possession, transportation, processing and use of marijuana is still illegal.

It is not legal in Alaska, nor Colorado, nor Washington, nor Oregon. It's not legal in your house, nor in a car, or on a train, or in a plane.

No Charlo Green I am; it's not legal to grow pot in this here land.

There is this thing called the Controlled Substances Act. You can find it in Title 21, Section 800 or so of the U.S. Code. Section 812 lists marihuana (with an h) as a schedule I substance.

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6US AK: Column: Why Does Alaska Count 6 Pot Plants PerFri, 27 Feb 2015
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Woodham, Scott Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:02/28/2015

"Anonymoose" wonders about a seeming contradiction in the implementation of the cultivation portion of the new laws allowing Alaskans over 21 to possess, use and grow cannabis.

The ballot initiative that became AS17.38 seems to say that each individual can have up to six plants (three flowering) for home cultivation, but the state is interpreting it as per household, not per individual.

"It seems unfair and illogical -- going against the spirit of the law," Anonymoose says, "to limit an adult couple living together from combining their 'adult over 21 quota' of six plants to 12. The measure didn't say 'six plants per dwelling if shared by multiple over 21's,' but this is clearly how it's being seen by regulators."

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7 US AK: OPED: Marijuana Boundaries Require Thought, PatienceFri, 20 Feb 2015
Source:Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK) Author:Ward, Bryce Area:Alaska Lines:61 Added:02/20/2015

NORTH POLE - We sit at the face of a paradigm shift in the state of Alaska, one that for many Alaskans is seen as a triumph of personal freedom and sovereignty. There is much truth in the declaration that we are at the commencement of something new for Alaska. However, that newness is not with marijuana or cannabis, it is with the concept of commercializing a substance and plant that previously was only allowed for personal use.

The Alaska Supreme Court's Ravin decision in 1975 determined the Alaska Constitution allowed for a person to own and use small amounts of cannabis, but that marijuana sale, manufacturing and distribution were prohibited. Ballot Measure 2, passed in 2014, permits the commercialization of cannabis and codifies the 2006 legislative action that reduced the permissible amount of personal possession from four ounces to one ounce.

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8 US AK: Lawmakers Say They Will Be Working on Pot Bill PastSat, 14 Feb 2015
Source:Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK) Author:Buxton, Matt Area:Alaska Lines:61 Added:02/14/2015

JUNEAU - With 10 days before marijuana becomes legal through November's voter initiative, a senator working closely on legislation intended to smooth out legal gray areas in criminal law says the bill won't be in place before Feb. 24.

After a lengthy Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that touched on a wide array of topics, Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, said several issues still need to be addressed, including medical marijuana, marijuana concentrates, local option control of marijuana in rural communities, and how penalties for minors possessing and consuming marijuana will be handled.

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9US AK: Alaska Bar Association Weighs in on Ethics of AttorneysThu, 25 Dec 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Andrews, Laurel Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:12/26/2014

Is it ethical for an Alaska attorney to smoke marijuana? The Alaska Bar Association's Ethics Committee has weighed in with an informal opinion on that question and two other key ethical issues surrounding attorneys and soon-to-be legalized recreational marijuana in Alaska.

The ethics committee examined the issues in an analysis posted to the Alaska Bar Association's website, "particularly in light of the conflict between state and federal law," the analysis states. Though recreational marijuana will become legal Feb. 24 in Alaska, it remains illegal under federal law.

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10US AK: Is Weed Really Legal? and Other Things YOU Need to KnowSun, 09 Nov 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Caldwell, Suzanna Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:11/09/2014

After months of debate and decades of semi-legal status, Alaskans voted Tuesday to approve Ballot Measure 2, an initiative legalizing recreational marijuana in Alaska. By approving the measure, Alaska became the fourth state to approve use of the substance, part of a national tide of states considering similar laws.

As of Friday, the measure was ahead by more than 9,600 votes. While other races are still tallying final votes, given the breakdown of Alaska voters, it would be impossible for the outcome to change significantly. The election is expected to be certified by the lieutenant governor's office near the end of November.

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11US AK: Alaskans Vote To Legalize MarijuanaWed, 05 Nov 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Caldwell, Suzanna Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:11/05/2014

After years of debate -- and decades of semi-legal status -- Alaskans will finally be able to light up legally. On Tuesday, voters approved Ballot Measure 2, an initiative legalizing recreational marijuana in Alaska, by about 52 percent in favor to 48 percent opposed, with 100 percent of the state's precincts reporting.

With the vote, Alaska joins Washington, Colorado and Oregon -- the latter of which also approved a similar initiative Tuesday -- as the first states in the country to legalize pot. Washington and Colorado approved their own initiatives in 2012.

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12 US AK: PUB LTE: Ballot Measure 2 Would Reduce Outlaw ElementMon, 03 Nov 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Landfield, Ken Area:Alaska Lines:42 Added:11/03/2014

It has been legal for adults to possess and consume marijuana in the privacy of their own homes in Alaska since 1975. What the Ravin decision did not address is acquisition. While one may of course grow for personal use, what ballot measure 2 addresses, as I see it, is commercial production and sale. In other words, today one may smoke pot legally; there's just no legal mechanism to purchase it. One must therefore break the law in order to exercise one's legal right. The current situation is Kafkaesque and morally confusing; ballot measure 2 could resolve these issues.

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13 US AK: Editorial: 'Yes' On Ballot Measure 2 Wrong ChoiceSat, 01 Nov 2014
Source:Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK)          Area:Alaska Lines:124 Added:11/01/2014

The Poorly Worded, Vague Language of the Measure Leaves Too Many Unknowns

Alaska has a relationship with marijuana grounded more on a constitutional right to privacy than on anything else. The Alaska Supreme Court made that clear with its 1975 ruling commonly known as the Ravin decision, named after Irwin Ravin, the man who challenged his 1972 arrest on a charge of violating the state's law against marijuana possession.

The justices' words should be listened to as the public decides the outcome of Ballot Measure 2, which if approved would allow the production, sale and use of marijuana and marijuana products by people age 21 and older.

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14US AK: With Alaska Marijuana Vote Near, the Result Appears toSat, 01 Nov 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Caldwell, Suzanna Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:11/01/2014

Independent Alaskans, known for their libertarian streak, were a key reason activists threw their support behind Alaska's effort to legalize recreational marijuana in 2014. But with only days until the vote, it's anyone's guess whether those live-and-let-live folks will go to the polls and which way they'll vote.

Polls have been inconsistent, with wildly different results, in the weeks leading up to Nov. 4. Some show that support -- nationally and in Alaska -- has been above 50 percent. But whether that will mean success for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska remains to be seen.

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15US AK: With Days Before Vote, Local Option Laws Are StickingThu, 30 Oct 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Caldwell, Suzanna Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:10/30/2014

Last week, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the state's largest Native organization, passed a resolution opposing Ballot Measure 2, which would legalize and tax recreational marijuana. AFN cited numerous concerns in passing the resolution, including the issue of local control, a contentious point in the debate over whether to legalize pot, and one not unique to Alaska, though it plays perhaps a more significant role here than elsewhere.

The opposition wasn't a surprise. Native organizations -- including numerous Alaska Native corporations, tribes, and corporation CEOs -- have consistently opposed the measure.

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16US AK: Column: Four Reasons Alaska Should Vote No on MarijuanaTue, 28 Oct 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Gerjevic, Frank Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:10/29/2014

Slow that train down, Casey.

Alaskans are deciding between now and 8 p.m. on Election Day whether to become the third state in the union to legalize and regulate marijuana. We should decide no.

What's the compelling reason to legalize marijuana? What do we gain?

Proponents argue that legalization is a triumph of reason over fear. Alaskans' passage of a medical marijuana law in 1998 fit that argument. But this version of legalization that is Ballot Measure 2 is a toke or two over the line.

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17US AK: OPED: Legalizing Marijuana Won't Ruin AlaskaThu, 23 Oct 2014
Source:Alaska Dispatch News (AK) Author:Keyes, Arthur Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:10/25/2014

I don't approve of marijuana use for myself or my family, but I don't believe the dire warnings of those advocating to keep pot illegal in contradiction of the principles of liberty our country and state were founded on.

"The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces of marijuana in their jeans simply makes no sense -- the kindest way to put it. A sterner way to put it is that it is an outrage, an imposition on basic civil liberties and on the reasonable expenditure of social energy."

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18US AK: Small Crowd, Big Names at First Fundraiser forWed, 16 Jul 2014
Source:Anchorage Daily News (AK) Author:Andrews, Laurel Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:07/17/2014

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.

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19US AK: Backers Of Vote On Legal Marijuana In Alaska Turn InThu, 09 Jan 2014
Source:Anchorage Daily News (AK) Author:Boots, Michelle Theriault Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:01/09/2014

Backers of a ballot initiative that could make Alaska the third state to legalize marijuana for recreational use turned in some 46,000 signatures to the state election officials Wednesday -- putting the question one step closer to the Aug. 19 ballot.

The Alaska measure is modeled on the 2012 Colorado initiative that paved the way for a recreational-pot industry that threw open its doors there on Jan. 1, when the law went into effect.

The backers of the Alaska initiative effort say legal marijuana is an idea whose time has come.

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20US AK: Timeline: Alaska And MarijuanaSat, 07 Sep 2013
Source:Anchorage Daily News (AK) Author:Mauer, Richard Area:Alaska Lines:Excerpt Added:09/08/2013

Alaska's Marijuana Timeline

August 1972: Alaska voters overwhelmingly approve a right to privacy amendment to the state constitution.

December 1972: Homer resident Irwin Ravin pushes a test case under the new right, arranging to get charged for possession of two joints. 1975: Alaska Supreme Court rules unanimously in favor of Ravin, declaring that the right to privacy trumps the law banning possession of small amounts of pot in a person's home. It doesn't define how much pot that is. 1982: The Alaska Legislature settles on four ounces as the most a person can possess before committing a misdemeanor.

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