cannabisnews.com: Alaskans to Vote on Pot Legalization in '04 





Alaskans to Vote on Pot Legalization in '04 
Posted by CN Staff on December 30, 2003 at 11:13:20 PT
By Timothy Inklebarger, The Juneau Empire 
Source: Juneau Empire
Registered voters will get a chance to decide next year whether to legalize private use of marijuana for Alaskans 21 and older. Lt. Gov. Loren Leman notified initiative sponsors in late November that the petition has the 28,782 signatures necessary to get the question on the 2004 ballot.Sponsors must collect signatures equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the most recent general election.
Since the marijuana initiative was filed prior to the 2002 election, it is based on 10 percent of the voters in the 2000 general election."We have enough signatures," said initiative sponsor Linda Ronan of Anchorage. "The problem is that it hasn't been certified. We don't know what the holdup is."Annette Kreitzer, Leman's chief of staff, said she expects the initiative to be certified within the next two weeks.Sponsors of the initiative have grown accustomed to delays.On Jan. 13, 2003, Leman rejected 194 of 484 signature booklets over what Anchorage Superior Court Judge John Suddock described as "trivial rule violations."Following a lawsuit from the initiative sponsors, Leman was ordered in September to recount the signature booklets.Tom Godkin, an administrative supervisor for the Division of Elections, said the division has not yet completed the total count of the petition booklets but confirmed that the group has more than enough valid signatures.Ronan said the initiative sponsors and backers plan to begin a public relations campaign next year to build support for the proposed new law.Complete Title: Alaskans to Vote on Pot Legalization in '04 Election Source: Juneau Empire (AK)Author: Timothy Inklebarger, The Juneau Empire Published: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Southeastern Newspaper Corp.Website: http://www.juneauempire.com/Contact: letterstotheeditor juneauempire.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Free Hemp in Alaskahttp://www.freehempinak.org/Pot Prop May Go On '04 Ballot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17408.shtmlMarijuana Initiative May Make Ballot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17405.shtmlJudge Orders Leman To Reconsider MJ Initiativehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17402.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #27 posted by FoM on January 06, 2004 at 22:09:36 PT
News Brief from The Associated Press
Leman Puts Marijuana Initiative on 2004 BallotBy Associated PressJanuary 6, 2004Juneau -- A voter initiative to make marijuana legal under state law was certified for the Nov. 2 ballot by Lt. Gov. Loren Leman on Tuesday. The initiative would decriminalize marijuana use for people 21 and older. Leman, a Republican and staunch drug opponent, denied certification of the measure last January after 194 of the 484 signature booklets were disallowed for technical errors. Initiative sponsors filed a lawsuit. Anchorage Superior Court Judge John Suddock ruled Sept. 23 that many errors were "trivial" and ordered Leman to count 168 of the booklets. The measure is sponsored by Linda Ronan, Georgia Mario and Timothy Hinterberger. Sponsors needed 28,783 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Sponsors have said they expect it to fare better than an unsuccessful 2000 voter initiative that not only decriminalized marijuana, but made possible reparations for some drug convicts. Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #26 posted by ekim on December 31, 2003 at 19:58:17 PT
Thanks for a great year to everyone
FoM i hope Willie will have a hit song comming. Man it would be sweet if Neil and others would get together for Dennis. If the brains that are making the new plastic and composites and oils and paper plus wonderfull cloths, would do a TV spot supporting Dennis we might start to think. It is going to be a exciting year i might even get to see this Gleendale here on Cnews in a little window.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #25 posted by FoM on December 31, 2003 at 17:35:35 PT
freedom fighter & mayan
freedom fighter I'm glad you liked the Greendale Link. Greendale is my favorite album ever. It covers a really good story about any town USA. They are touring again with Greendale and we want to see it again. This time everyone will know the words. The Greendale movie is scheduled to be released in February. mayan, when you watch Vicar Street you will see how much personality Neil gives the people he sings about in Greendale. Have a wonderful night getting stupid! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #24 posted by mayan on December 31, 2003 at 17:25:22 PT
FoM...
I wish you a happy new year also! That's great about Greendale. I'm also going to watch the DVD that came with the Greendale CD tonight(Live at Vicar Street?). It's time to get stupid!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #23 posted by freedom fighter on December 31, 2003 at 12:21:27 PT
FoM
thks for the link to the Greendale. I enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the gift.Happy New Year to you all!""'a little love and affection
in everything you do
will make the world a better place
with or without you'"a little love and affection
in everything you do """... "Falling from Above" by Neil Youngpazff
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 31, 2003 at 12:05:47 PT
mayan
Greendale Came in 8th Top Album by Rolling Stone Magazine for 2003! Considering it wasn't played on the radio that is remarkable. I can't wait to see it again when it comes to Cleveland!Happy New Year!http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=19143
Neil Young - Greendale
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #21 posted by FoM on December 31, 2003 at 08:20:09 PT
mayan
I watched The Grateful Dead yesterday. I didn't watch all of disc one but I watched disc 2 and the bonus section they have. I found that the music was a little too slow for me but I am a Neil fan and I like music to break into a jamming session. Did you know that Greendale is on Neil Young.com? He put the whole album on his site. We got Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii and the making of Dark Side of the Moon. The best DVD we got was the Concert for George. That was incredible. Happy New Year!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #20 posted by jose melendez on December 31, 2003 at 07:26:52 PT
buors' words
 ". . . The social order is doomed as long as politicians, for whatever reason, want to pretend drugs are anything other than a mixture of chemicals found on the periodic table. Whatever dangers attributed are politically defined, and not everyone will agree with those definitions.  Therein lies the rub.  We sow the seeds of destruction of the social order by criminalizing dissenters. Intervention always has its political corollary, be it "the Fuhrer principle," the "Superman idea" or the fantasy a leader will arise to make all the right decisions and save humanity. In short, as Plato remarked, leadership needs scapegoats, some enemy to fear, or else we would have no need of leadership.  Drug users are the scapegoats today. Drugs are a property.  We have a natural right to them.  We have owned that right since time began.  The right is bestowed by the Creator in Genesis 1:29, no matter what immoral law the tyrants care to legislate into political truth. "- snipped, from:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n2008/a08.html?397
It's the harm, stupid: Buy books not bullets.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #19 posted by Dankhank on December 31, 2003 at 06:49:18 PT
EKIM
I take your point ... Gephardt was the first Dem I talked, to and now the first I have talked to twice. First time I asked if he knew what Kuchinich was saying .. He said NO and I told him.A handout or BB note is a good idea ...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #18 posted by mayan on December 31, 2003 at 04:24:25 PT
FoM...
I got that DVD for Christmas! I haven't watched it yet but I will tonight. It's only appropriate since it was a new year's eve show(1978). I can't wait! I got a GD calendar also that has all kinds of interesting facts about the band.
On the date of June 12th it says that the Dead was playing "Fire on the Mountain" at Memorial Coliseum in Portland at the exact moment that Mt. St. Helen's erupted! Pretty freaky!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #17 posted by CorvallisEric on December 30, 2003 at 23:27:38 PT
How to succeed
One of the more relevant success stories is the defeat of re-criminalization in Oregon in 1998. The legislature passed re-crim by about 2-1 vote which was signed by Gov. Kitzhaber (Democrat and medical doctor). Measure 57 was the referendum to overturn this. A "NO" vote meant a vote to overturn re-crim, which happened by about 2-1.*** There was heavy emphasis on tax saving in the campaign. *** Anyone interested in more info can search Google for Oregon Measure 57
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #16 posted by ekim on December 30, 2003 at 19:46:22 PT
Dankhank please copy Dennis stance on Cannabis
and when you travel pass it along. I bet if you go see Dennis most sitting right next to you would not know of which we speak. I find copying a story that i like and put them on well read boards at stores and cafes and cd shops makes me feel better. good luck mikehttp://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php
Unfortunately, current drug policy fails to take into account the lessons of Prohibition. The law regards all users as abusers, and the result has been the creation of an unnecessary class of lawbreakers. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, more than 734,000 individuals were arrested on marijuana charges in 2000. This number far exceeds the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Eighty-eight percent of those arrested were charged with possession only. Convicted marijuana offenders are denied federal financial student aid, welfare, and food stamps, and may be removed from public housing. In many cases, those convicted are automatically stripped of their driving privileges, even if the offense is not driving related. In several states, marijuana offenders may receive maximum sentences of life in prison. The cost to the taxpayer of enforcing marijuana prohibition is staggering—over $10 billion annually.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #15 posted by Patrick on December 30, 2003 at 18:43:41 PT
freedom fighter
I agree with you 100% that ballot initiatives = millions of $$$$$ these days... Sad but true. But then all politics = millions of $$$$$. Politics = laws = lawyers = cops enforcing laws = ballot initiatives = % of voters voting = new laws = judges overturning voters = angry voters = cops in riot gear = laws against growing a plant.The problem is…hell there are a million ways to portray the problem. Whatever is specific to one person is general to another. For example I would want to grow 20 plants harvest them and keep my crop with no commercial interest other than just sharing with friends and family. I want to do it without "the fear" of being arrested. That is a very specific issue to me. However, voters who don't give a damn about cannabis do, I think, have a general feeling about right and wrong and justice. So what is specific to them? I don't know for sure but I would venture to say that you have to convince them that the status quo is worse than the new proposal. Throwing benefits to those already incarcerated or putting limitations on the police or raising a tax or whatever they tried to do with the defeated Nevada Initiative will surely kill any new ballot initiative even in liberal Alaska. Tailor the wording of the initiative so that it will convince the majority of "voters" to vote for a change even if they don't give a rats ass about cannabis.Infiltrate the Voter Handbook Pros & Cons staff and write the booklet so that it's slanted in the way you want the election to turn out.Pros: Cost to taxpayer is zero. Savings to governmental agencies: Estimated in the billions nationally. Effect on law enforcement will be increased response times to violent and victim related crime. Alcohol & tobacco like regulations of cannabis will lower availability to minors. Vote YES for law enforcement and cannabis.Cons: This initiative will not prevent teen abuse of drugs. Marijuana is a dangerous drug and its users would no longer be arrested, jailed, fined, and minors would no longer loose finicial aid to attend college for smoking pot. No matter the cost to our state budget our police must continue to focus the majority of their time in an effort to root out every single plant grown in this great state. Vote NO and continue to spend your taxes like a true patriot on prisons and plant eradication.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #14 posted by freedom fighter on December 30, 2003 at 17:37:38 PT
How much does it cost?
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n2003/a09.html?999AUDITOR: ANTI-DRUG TACTICS FLAWED Consider Decriminalization and Alternatives to Arrest, Minch Lewis Says. Decriminalizing drugs might be a way to cut down on the crime associated with the sale of illegal substances, City Auditor Minch Lewis said. The Syracuse Police Department is spending an inordinate amount of time and money addressing the drug problem in the city, but would be more effective if its focus changed, said Lewis, who leaves office Wednesday after two, four-year terms.If you click that link, it would explain that MAP worked with this city auditor to do cost analysis.. hmmm...I think every city should do so!ff
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by freedom fighter on December 30, 2003 at 17:25:55 PT
virgil
1975 Ravin Act is a legistation act in 1975, it became part of Alaska Consititution. The 1990 voter's initative was declared unconsitituional because of that Ravin Act.People are already growing 20 plants or less in Alaska and they know they will not be charge right now. I found that out at the overgrow.com Sad but true..
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by freedom fighter on December 30, 2003 at 17:20:47 PT
2 cents worth
ballot initiatives = millions of $$$$$ these days... Sad but true. I do believe that Alaska has a chance. With our help on donations, that state do have a fighting chance.A recent blurb heard   overgrow, people in Alaska already growin 20 plants without major problems like getting charged with it.We will see what will happen then!pazff
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by Virgil on December 30, 2003 at 17:15:10 PT
Laughing grass was criminalized by iniative
I am not sure how LG became legal in Alaska. I think it was the 1975 Alaskan Supreme Court ruling on Ravin? that made it legal. It was a ballot iniative in 1990 that passed with 54% of the vote that made it illegal again. Fourteen years is a long time and you would think that it would pass. They tried a ballot iniative in 2000 that was pretty extreme that failed. I think it asked for reparations for prisoners which made it an impossible sale.I still have not been approved for the at the Juneau Empire messageboards probably because of Christmas. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by westnyc on December 30, 2003 at 16:17:19 PT
I think the problem is....
I think the problem with these initiatives not passing is quite simple; the tokers, the impoverished, and the young, are not going to the polls and voting on these proposals. The largest percentage of voters are the seniors who are regrettably part of the "reefer madness" mainstream; and the wealthy who have too much private-stake in prohibition. Unless "ALL AMERICANS" start getting involved in the democratic process, unions will continue to disappear,wages will continue to drop; and, the tokers will continue in becoming more disenfranchised in the American System of Justice.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by SystemGoneDown on December 30, 2003 at 15:00:25 PT
CorvallisEric 
That's why I think something is wrong. When legalization votes nill for recreational use, something is definetly flawed. Everyone I've met, smoker or non-smoker, feel it should be legal. It just comes to show you how mis-informed the people are on marijuana(the fact that many would vote against recreational use is just nerving). And it also comes to show you that any significant evidence that proves how soft and harmless pot is, it is CENSORED!!! with a capital C. I'm to a point now where I have total disgust for anyone who thinks marijuana should be illegal, it's sad because I feel so strongly about it. It's like an automatic in my brain now......anyone who thinks marijuana is rightfully illegal is brainwashed in my book.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 30, 2003 at 13:43:26 PT
A Note
I think what they played was Beer for my Horses. I think that's the name of the song. They said they couldn't play it. I'm not sure if they finally did play a portion of Willie's new song because we turned the news off and put in The Closing of Winterland. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by CorvallisEric on December 30, 2003 at 13:24:51 PT
SystemGoneDown - comment 5
... there is NO DOUBT in my mind that EVERY STATE would vote for legalization through these ballot initiatives. Too bad Alaska is the only one thus far.For non-medical use the record so far is 0 out of at least 3. Nevada 2000. Alaska 1998(?). California 1986(???).
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 30, 2003 at 13:02:59 PT
Dankhank 
I am watching CNN and they are going to play a little portion of Willies New Song. I just heard a little piece and it sounds like Beer for my Horses. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by SystemGoneDown on December 30, 2003 at 13:00:57 PT
YEAH DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!
Who do you think is panicing more? Ashcroft or Walters? They can rott in hell, and there is NO DOUBT in my mind that EVERY STATE would vote for legalization through these ballot initiatives. Too bad Alaska is the only one thus far.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on December 30, 2003 at 12:59:40 PT:
A New Song
Willie has a new song to sing on 3 January in Austin at the Kuchinich concerthttp://www.kucinich.us/nelson_poe_song.phpHe won't sing it until then ...In related buisness, I got to talk to Gephardt for a minute.He talks about his son being saved by experimenal medicine and prayer so I asked if he thought DEA swat attacks on folks in CA, some who were trying experimental treatments with Cannabis were proper. He said, no.I then asked if he knew GoreIII is up for a year and a grand, (prison/fine), and if he thought GoreIII belongs in prison for what he did. Dick said, NO.It's fun to make these guys answer questions. More of us should do this...Peace to all who come here to learn and share ...Confusion to the rest ...
He seems serious, but, don't know if he is wuffin' or if he is serious, anyone else talking to him? 
Register to Vote
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by CorvallisEric on December 30, 2003 at 12:55:47 PT
Alaska
The state decided not to appeal the court order, Leman said later, after weighing the cost of appealing against the risk of losing.If I knew gambling lingo, I could make some smartass remarks. Anyway, this could be the event of the year, not just for the US, but for the whole world. I hope they learn from everyone's past mistakes. Those wiser than me can decide if the campaign emphasis should be on Alaska's libertarian heritage rather than hard-to-defend claims of cannabis being "harmless."
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 30, 2003 at 12:01:14 PT
Related News Article from The Associated Press
Pot Legalization Backers Have Enough SignaturesBy Associated PressTuesday, December 30, 2003 Juneau -- Signatures collected by sponsors of a marijuana legalization initiative are expected to be certified soon, state officials said. Lt. Gov. Loren Leman notified initiative sponsors that the petition has the 28,782 signatures necessary to get the question on the 2004 ballot. The initiative calls for decriminalizing marijuana for people 21 and older. Sponsors had to collect signatures equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the most recent general election. Since the marijuana initiative was filed prior to the 2002 election, it is based on 10 percent of the voters in the 2000 general election. Annette Kreitzer, Leman's chief of staff, said she expects the initiative to be certified within the next two weeks. Last January, Leman rejected 194 of 484 signature booklets over what Anchorage Superior Court Judge John Suddock described as "trivial rule violations." Following a lawsuit from the initiative sponsors, Leman was ordered in September to recount the signature booklets. The state decided not to appeal the court order, Leman said later, after weighing the cost of appealing against the risk of losing. Tom Godkin, an administrative supervisor for the Division of Elections, said the division has not yet completed the total count of the petition booklets but confirmed that the group has more than enough valid signatures. Linda Ronan, an initiative sponsor, said the initiative sponsors and backers plan to begin a public relations campaign next year to build support for the proposed new law. Sponsors say they expect the initiative to fare better than a more sweeping measure rejected by voters in 2000 that sought to legalize marijuana and provide reparations for some drug convicts. Copyright: 2003 Associated Press
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by The GCW on December 30, 2003 at 11:39:31 PT
Alaska, up to bat...
TO:   Interested personsFROM:  Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communicationsDATE:  Tuesday, December 30, 2003SUBJECT: CNN's "Inside Politics" Profiles MPP's New Hampshire Campaign 
     Today======================================================================Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana -- MPP's effort to influence the 
Democratic presidential candidates during the New Hampshire 
presidential primary campaign -- will be featured today on CNN's 
"Inside Politics." CNN's crew spent considerable time interviewing 
GSMM Campaign Coordinator Aaron Houston and following Aaron and his 
team of volunteers around the state. The program airs today at 
3:30 p.m. Eastern time and 12:30 Pacific time.======================================================================HOW TO SUPPORT GRANITE STATERS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANAThe Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana campaign is staffed and
funded by the Marijuana Policy Project. If you find the campaign
useful, please consider donating: http://www.GraniteStaters.com/donateGOT420?Kucinich will end cannabis prohibition.In case You haven't heard: Democratic Presidential nominee, Dennis Kucinich, put in writing that as PRESIDENT He WILL: 
"DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA" -"in favor of a drug policy that sets reasonable boundaries for marijuana use by establishing guidelines similar to those already in place for alcohol." (POSTED ON His website!)http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17917.shtml http://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php 
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment