Vote No on Ballot Measure 2 By Renee Schofield October 15, 2014
The number one thing I hear from people on Ballot Measure 2 is “legalize, tax, and regulate.” It’s not that simple. Here’s the deal. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol. Every time I hear the outside-funded Vote Yes folks say that they want to regulate marijuana like alcohol I want to correct the record, since you simply cannot regulate marijuana like alcohol. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because there are no clear, agreed upon or easily administered Driving Under the Influence (DUI) tests or standards for marijuana. Fatal accidents involving marijuana have gone up in Colorado. Alaska needs to know what that standard is going to be BEFORE we legalize a substance that we know is showing an increase in accidents in another state. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because legally it is unclear if you can even tax it. There is a lawsuit in Colorado challenging this. Are we ready to spend our dollars in lawsuits? You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because under this initiative communities cannot prohibit the transportation of marijuana (including edibles, butane hash oil, and shatter) into their communities. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because under the initiative there is no way to restrict the growing of marijuana, the processing of marijuana or the retailing of marijuana in unincorporated areas of the state, which is almost half of the state. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because this initiative specifically makes it legal to produce dangerous butane hash oil and other substances from marijuana in any home, apartment, or condo, in any place in the state, where someone grows marijuana. That could be in your apartment building! You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because of second-hand marijuana smoke. This initiative does not give you, as a neighbor, the ability to deal with it. We have spent a lot of time and efforts in reducing second hand smoke from tobacco. Let’s not go backwards. This outside-funded initiative is wrong for Alaska. Over 98% of their contributions have come from the lower-48. They are following the legalization and commercialization play-book from Colorado. Yet even the governor of Colorado just called legalization “reckless.” And speaking of marijuana and alcohol, it is worth noting that since commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, alcohol sales have increased, not decreased. There are so many other problems in Colorado since legalization. Let’s not make the same mistake, just because outside-interests are telling us to. All Alaskans want good things to happen for our families. We desire healthy outcomes for the future of our children. I believe that Ballot Measure 2 is not written in a manner that will allow for a healthy future for the people of our state. For that reason, I am in strong opposition to this ballot measure and will be voting no. I urge you to do the same. Renee Schofield
Received October 09, 2014 - Published October 15, 2014
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