Anchorage is set to hear public testimony September 23 on Ballot Measure 2, whether or not to regulate marijuana.
In previous testimonies, Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Director Kalie Klaysmat also testified.
Klaysmat: “The data that is coming out of Colorado and even the beginning data coming out of Washington tells a frightening story, our fellow chiefs association in Colorado is having a great deal of buyers remorse as they are seeing the statistics changing in that state and we are concerned about such things happening here. We are also at the cost that we think this will be just to the municipal tax payers in order to provide just the education that our law enforcement officers are going to need to properly handle the issues that are going to arise doing traffic stops with more impaired drivers on the road.”
Taylor Bickford with the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol told KSRM passing the initiative may help with patients accessing medical marijuana.
Bickford: “Currently Alaska’s medical marijuana law is totally broken. Patients have no way of obtaining their medicine without potentially have to engage in the criminal underground and the list of qualifying conditions is extremely limited. So soldiers who are suffering from PTSD for example cant access marijuana even tho that’s been show to help people with that condition. So passing ballot measure 2 will allow medical marijuana patients to access their medicine without fear of prosecution.”
If enacted the initiative would allow marijuana to be sold in state licensed stores however smoking in public and possession by people under 21 would still be illegal.
All hearings will be available via teleconference and citizens may call in toll-free to testify at (855) 463-5009. Anyone may listen live at the same number, or online at http://akl.tv. Citizens may also submit comments via e-mail to [email protected].
