The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, or more easily, the pro-pot people, are up on the airwaves with some pretty good ads. This commercial features former Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Bill Parker, who has long advocated for legalizing pot:
This one features a Valdez police officer:
The group also has a radio spot featuring another cop and a school teacher.
All told, the pro-pot people are spending $500,000 on the ads. So far, the campaign has received $860,759 in contributions to convince Alaskans to vote on Ballot Measure 2. Most of that money has come from the D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project.
The other side, Big Marijuana. Big Mistake. Vote No on 2. Or, more easily, the anti-pot people, have raised about $91,000. Most of that has come from Alaskans and Alaska-based businesses.
Local pollster Ivan Moore, who polled for the campaign, recently released numbers that show that pot was up 18 percentage points. Many, even the pro-pot people, said that was likely optimistic.
Another local polling firm, Dittman Research, who is working with the anti-pot people, released a poll the same day showing that pot is losing by 10 points.
Dazed and confused? Join the club. But what is clear is that those who are against legalization don’t have nearly the resources as those who are for it. Also, they don’t have a sympathetic media on their side. But they do have fear–justified or not–and some stories and some polls out of Colorado, that has indicated that people there are less than happy about what happened in that state after legalization.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
None of the hypothetical evil that will befall us (according to the anti-pot crowd) if marijuana is legalized would be hypothetically mitigated by keeping pot illegal.
What will happen is that the anti-pot people will be feeding themselves a placebo, and feeling like they are somehow making the world a better place by telling other people that they can’t smoke pot, when in reality, nothing will be made better, and their energy will have been wasted on maintaining their illusions. It will, however, placate their compulsion to dictate how other people should be living their lives.
Pot is not evil. It’s a flower. Most of the negativity that is generally attributed to pot is actually attributable to either excessive consumption of pot or to the illegal drug trade. Well, excessive consumption of anything can have negative consequences – consuming too water can kill a person – and the illegal drug trade exists as a result of laws that we have made, laws that can be changed.
The anti crowd likes to portray everyone who advocates for the legalization of pot as a dooling, burned out, unmotivated slacker who just wants to smoke pot all day and…..well, nothing else. Granted, those types of potheads exist, and I suppose that by grouping all pro-pot people under that characature makes it is easier to dismiss any arguments they make or evidence they present without seriously considering or debating it, but to argue that society will be overrun with drooling slacker potheads if pot is legalized is just foolish. They exist, and will continue to exist, regardless of the legality of pot, in pretty much the same proportion that they do now. Personally, I see more chronic inebriates on a daily basis than I see chronic potheads, but I don’t hear anyone advocating for alcohol prohibition (because it would be stupid).
And speaking of alcohol, any arguments of, “we already have enough problems with alcohol, we don’t need to create more by legalizing pot” ring hollow. No problems would be “created”, and if the the people who put forth this argument were truly being honest with themselves it would sound more like, “I don’t think that you should be legally allowed to indulge in your vice, but keep your goddamn hands off of MY vice”, because while they are content to restrict other people’s chosen recreation enhancement mechanism, none of them are willing to restrict their own recreation enhancement mechanism.
This initiative does not/would not open up the floodgates for an influx of pot into Alaska, it merely rescinds ineffective laws and allows for the creation and implementation of more sensible laws, and removes the criminality of producing and consuming marijuana. The sky will not fall, and society will not unravel. Quite possibly the most significant change will be that some people will reluctantly let go of illusions that they have clung to so tightly for so long, and will now be free to focus that energy on other, more productive endeavors.
I don’t smoke. But I am voting yes. I have been affected far more often by actual dangerous crimes than by people smoking or growing marijuana. Tax it, regulate it, keep track of it. Keep the cartels out of Alaska. Someone recently told me voting “no” does nothing to help the problem of marijuana getting in the hands of kids. Voting “yes” will put controls in place.
The “no” side are doing a great job of lying through their teeth, demonstrating they feel superior to anyone with a different outlook on marijuana, and throwing medical patients under the bus.
Vote sensibly. Vote yes.
I’m a supporter of decriminalization but oppose legalizatiion. Too much, too fast.
We all support drunk driving laws; however, standards of equivalency for pot immpairment do not exist. Vote No to legalize, let’s decrimminalize.
This scandal is so bad that there is talk that Parnell needs to step down and be replaced with Dan Sullivan at the top of the ticket.
The discussion is who fills the Lt. Gov. slot. Several Republican Senate and House members are under consideration. Wright is pushing Chenault, others are pushing for Sen. Huggins.
As of today Parnell is now 10 points down in the polls. Walker wins by a landslide. There will be more extremely damaging leaked documents. The stuff Parnell is try to hide will come out.