cannabisnews.com: Alaskans To Vote To Decriminalize Marijuana Alaskans To Vote To Decriminalize Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on October 30, 2004 at 07:47:19 PT By Tomas Alex Tizon, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times Anchorage -- A 16-year-old pot-smoker arrested in a grisly slaying has become the talk of the town as Alaskans consider whether to make their state the first to fully decriminalize marijuana. The teen was charged this month with killing his stepmother and keeping her body in a freezer for three days as he drove friends to the mall in her car. After his arrest, he told police he had fought with the stepmother over his chronic marijuana use but could not remember the details of her death because he had been stoned at the time. Both opponents and supporters of Ballot Measure 2 — which would make it legal for those 21 and older to grow, use or distribute marijuana and allow the government to regulate sales — seized the murder case to bolster their arguments."They say pot doesn't cause people to be dangerous. I know it isn't true," said Audie Holloway, deputy chief of the Anchorage Police Department.He and other opponents describe the slaying as an example of the bad things that happen when people smoke marijuana.Ken Jacobus, a supporter of the initiative, said opponents were simply trying to scare the public, and that the fact that a juvenile had easily obtained pot was proof that current drug laws didn't work. "Marijuana didn't kill the stepmother. The kid killed his stepmother," said Jacobus.Supporters of the ballot measure hope to benefit from the momentum gained from a state Supreme Court action last month that upheld the right of adult Alaskans to possess up to 4 ounces of marijuana in their homes for personal use — a right that has been challenged on and off since Alaska's Supreme Court ruled in 1975 that adults could possess a limited amount of marijuana. The high court's action confirmed Alaska as the most marijuana-tolerant state in the nation. In 2002, Nevada voters rejected a statewide initiative that would have decriminalized the drug.If adopted, the Alaska ballot measure would set a general policy toward marijuana; it would be up to the state Legislature to figure out the details of implementing it, including possible taxation of pot sales, as for of alcohol and tobacco.Some have suggested that if implemented to the fullest, the law could open the way for marijuana retail outlets similar to state liquor stores. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/vote.htmSource: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Tomas Alex Tizon, Times Staff WriterPublished: October 30, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Yes on 2 Alaskahttp://www.yeson2alaska.com/ A Drug-Abuse Researcher Says Vote Yes on 2 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19743.shtmlMarijuana Initiative Heats Up Electionshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19741.shtmlAlaskans To Vote on Legalizing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19738.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #28 posted by Hope on November 01, 2004 at 07:25:05 PT Kap, "Smart on crime" What a concept!Would that it could become a new and popular political refrain.Googling "Smart on crime" will get you about 1,240 hits. Not many when you consider how many hits some searches get. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by Hope on November 01, 2004 at 07:13:33 PT Halloween The comments in post #21 gave me my shiver of the day…for sure.It's a dang scary post, but true. Thanks Kap.Brrrr. [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by valerienak on October 31, 2004 at 13:19:20 PT: Halloweeny Refer Madness Its 1930’s refer madness all over again! “Marijuana the Assassin of Youth, and it will make you insane and kill people!” The 16-year-old in the story sounds like a moron that will say anything to save his ass and the spinsters are having a hay day with this one. But this one blows me away even more. Get this, one of the leaders of the No on 2 campaign, Matthew Fagnani, is the president of a local drug-testing firm. Gee I wonder why he would not want it to pass. The drug testing industry has seen a lot of growth in the past 10 years. The only thing they’re missing now is a representative from the prison guard union or one of those private prison companies telling us how dangerous a menace the killer weed really is. Nothing could be more scary on Halloween then a cold blooded killer stoner, BOOO! AWWWW! What if we required every citizen to drug test and threw all the bad apples in prison? Or since we already have more people in prison per capita then any where else in the world, why don’t we just banish all the stoners to the Netherlands? Imagine how much safer we would be with all those unpatriotic terrorist sympathizers out of our country. I personally think we should just go back to the days of witch burning. I’ll leave it up to the government to come up with a list of guilty persons. And because of our new “patriot constitution” we won’t have to waste money on appointing attorneys and expensive court fees. [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by FoM on October 31, 2004 at 11:41:03 PT Hope No I haven't talked by email to Joyce since that time a few years ago. When I got the satellite 2 and a half years ago it changed my email and I haven't heard anything since that time. I think she understands why I feel like I do though. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by Hope on October 31, 2004 at 11:37:33 PT FoM Comment #3 As I remember, at one time you were corresponding with Ms. Nalepka via the internet. It may have been when I was too sick to notice it...but, whatever happened with all that? Do you still correspond with her? [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by FoM on October 31, 2004 at 11:19:33 PT One More Thing They didn't drug test either back in the 70s. Drug testing only builds a wall between a person and a counselor. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by FoM on October 31, 2004 at 11:10:30 PT Kaptinemo I think you are right. It could happen that way. I don't know anyone that believes if Kerry is elected things we be ok. Fixing the mess we are in might not be possible. That's realistic. Back when I experimented with drugs in the 70s a person that was caught with a hard drug was sent to counceling not jail because they felt is was a medical issue not a criminal issue. That would be a good beginning to treat it differently. The reality is that if a person is strung out on a hard drug they are sick and need help. They don't need jail. [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on October 31, 2004 at 10:56:46 PT: The bitter medicine of economics Ryno, I might be inclined to agree, except for a couple points.The first is that the drug law reform movement has gained such ground in the last 5 years alone that the antis have taken notice and are now actively attacking the groups and individuals that comprise it. That may seem cold comfort for many, but for those who take a historical view of things (slight bow) it is part of a progression summed up by Gandhi that begins with them ignoring you and ending with you winning.But accompanying this is another aspect: the DrugWar is just too expensive a game to play anymore. No matter who is in the White House, the economic situation will *worsen*. We have not yet begun to see the end of the bad times we are operating under. Some people in this country have some sort of childish belief that if Kerry should get into the White House, it'll be "Hap-py Days are heeere ah-gain!" and we'll have the zoom-zoom-zoom 1990's all over.I hate to say this, but the damage done by the present tenants of both White House and Congress will take years to recover from, as did the ReaganBush years require the Klinton presidency to balance the budget. Quite a lot of red ink before the all-too-brief moment of fiscal clarity. And the orgy of prison building that took place back then was funded from the monies loaned to the Gub'mint by the banks that make up the Fed Reserve; the banks are largely controlled by foreign interests (whom we've p.o.'ed) and they've already lent way too much to Uncle for his little wars. They will want their payback soon. Things are gonna get tight in the USA. Very tight.Which means that a 1980's style ramping up of the DrugWar is unlikely, due to the belt-tightening that will HAVE to take place and is already taking place at the State and local level. If anything, the DrugWar part of the national budget will have to *shrink*. It's 'guns or butter' time, and I think butter will eventually win out. But it's going to be a painful lesson for Americans to learn.If Kerry gets in and he is as smart as many claim, he'll have his Bright Young MBA's pouring over the books and come to the same conclusion. Then we can expect to see more aggressive peddling of the phrase "Smart on crime" bandied about to test the public's willingness to engage in a backing away from full-on punitiveness to something approaching pre-1980 approaches. And if things get REALLY bad, then you can bet the ONDCP will be put on the fiscal equivalent of a liquid protein diet...or just outright starved.So, I'm guardedly optimistic...but only because we are going to go through some hard times soon. As usual, it takes a slap upside the head before Uncle realizes it's time to change tracks. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by siege on October 31, 2004 at 09:33:33 PT fix up pot This is where the Gov't. took and looked through the COP"S Books and found something they could use with the kid or someone. had been in troble before they got a Drug Dealer to save his Donkey, OR [CIA] cocaine in Amarican by/to selling the kid BAD POT they [Gov't.] fix up at the time it was neaded to help themself. To fight OR discrete [Yes on 2 ] [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by FoM on October 31, 2004 at 09:08:50 PT ryno35 I agree that drug legalization is a topic that gets people upset. A UK reform group said drugs would be legal in 20 years. I know it might take that long. Reforming laws on Cannabis are in the home stretch though. I believe the mentality of the people supporting Kerry is way more tolerant of people and their own personal views of what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable. We will win our issue thru the courts more then anything else. I don't believe Kerry will chase marijuana and demonize it like Bush has. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by ryno35 on October 31, 2004 at 08:58:43 PT RE: If Bush Wins IMO it doesn't matter who's president. To win the war on drugs we have to change people's minds. There's still way to many poeple today that cringe when someone mentions drug legalization. When enough people's attitude about prohibition change and they see the folly in it, the "war on drugs" will finally be over.Granted a anti-prohibition president would help but Kerry's not going to be that guy either. Kerry more than Bush is going to go with public opinion, which right now is overwhelmingly pro-prohibition. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by kaptinemo on October 31, 2004 at 02:56:04 PT: The more I think about it, the more I'm puzzled Granted, the circumstances are truly tragic. I don't know much about the situatuion beyond the article, as I tried Googling for more information, I found very little. I strongly suspect the kid was in and out of mental institutions for violent behavior well before his arrival at the foster care home. And while in those institutions, as has been pointed out by DrFistUSA, he was almost certainly subjected to anti-psychotics and mood elevators like SSRI's. The (supposed!) anti-psychotic Haldol has been linked to murderous rages; it would be interesting to know if the kid had been given or forced to take it. The same goes for Zoloft.It's really quite strange: cannabis preserves nerve endings, protecting them from chemical derangement caused by trauma. In most cases, it works like an anti-depressent and mood elevator. Again, a matter of historical fact, based upon 5,000 years of anecdotal information easily verified with scientific study. Yet drugs that dangerously alter brain chemistry such as SSRI's get the nod. It almost makes you think that somebody WANTS sick, deranged killers loose amongst the populace. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by mayan on October 31, 2004 at 00:23:51 PT Wow "They say pot doesn't cause people to be dangerous. I know it isn't true," said Audie Holloway, deputy chief of the Anchorage Police Department.He and other opponents describe the slaying as an example of the bad things that happen when people smoke marijuanaAll I can say is...BWAHAAHAAAHAAAA!!! Now excuse me while I go and commit another axe murder. Wow. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by b4daylight on October 30, 2004 at 13:50:07 PT They should be ashmed This is not news this properganda. If they wanted to make it news. They would say it would be harder to get marijuania with the new law, and that the kids would be able to look up to the government for direction, rather than having to trust themselves. Because the Governmnet does not to reveal the truth or evaulate our latest scientific studies. Rather goes by their own morals. Tell the public the truth about Marijuania. Keep the moral issues out of our free soceity. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on October 30, 2004 at 13:01:04 PT unkat27 No problem at all. I removed your extra post and my one comment. I found out that women can go to a Monastery. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by afterburner on October 30, 2004 at 11:21:06 PT Too Many 'Chiefs' Not Enough 'Indians' No offence intended to aboriginal people!"The forces arrayed against Ballot Measure 2 are powerful,..."They include ... Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage police and the Alaska State Medical Assn., which has about 600 physician members. " Yes, and how many of the rank and file state troopers support their leadership's position; how many of the rank and file police support their leadership's position; how many of the rank and file physician members support their leadership's position? In the US in general and in Canada, the leaders of the medical associations and law enforcement favor continuing cannabis prohibition, whereas many front line doctors and police officers see cannabis prohibition as a failure and support medical use and legal reform.This article is incomplete. It does not state enough facts about whether the marijuana [sic] was used in combination with other substances, like alcohol or PCP, both known to promote violence in some individuals, both known to cause black-outs and memory loss. Or, is this just another Operation Chaos event with a secret-government-paid patsy hired to discredit the cannabis reform movement? The timing is just too convenient and therefore suspicious. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by drfistusa on October 30, 2004 at 11:14:23 PT he could of been on Prozac or or other SRI's shades of colembine! not pot, stuff from the "drug store" they end up killing themselves, if not inhibited, then they go for others. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by unkat27 on October 30, 2004 at 10:53:50 PT Excuse duplicate post Sorry, didn't mean to repost 'Anybody could be a killer', twas a mistake.Just heard there was a huge cannabis bust in Connecticut. Tried to find a link to the story, but nada yet. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on October 30, 2004 at 10:50:30 PT I canceled my subscription Bye bye LA Times [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on October 30, 2004 at 10:48:15 PT: Scrape a barrel bottom, get splinters Now you KNOW they're desperate; the same crap they pulled in 1937, they are trying to resurrect again. "Marijuana turns boys into crazed fiends!" "Marijuana turns you into a gibbering, drooling axe-murderer!" Pure classic Hearst-ing, all over again. Blame the drug, not the whacked out punk who was twisted to begin with. And watch the ones with paychecks to look after piling on this with not a single iota of shame; where was their towering moral outrage when Jonathan Magbie needlessly, tortuously choked to death while incarcerated?Yada, yada, yada. Same sh*t, different wrapper. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by unkat27 on October 30, 2004 at 10:47:37 PT Anybody could be a killer There are plenty of people who kill who don't use marijuana. This isn't a case of someone killing because they were too stoned to know the difference between right and wrong, it's a case of some seriously psychologically disturbed individual who probably thought about killing his stepmother long before actually doing it, and would have done it, stoned or not.My guess is, the authorities (DEA, anti-pot pigs) told him if he blamed it on the pot he used, they'd go easy on him and give him a much lighter sentence than he normally would get under such circumstances. IOW, this news is GREAT news for the anti-pot people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by The GCW on October 30, 2004 at 09:36:10 PT I don't buy it, I don't buy it, that He could not remember the details of her death because he had been stoned at the time. Cannabis doesn't quite do that.Between other drugs (legal or ill) or something, something else contributed to this, or...I wonder if a kid can use the system to minipulate getting off lighter for His crime of murder? (that's a kids mentality)Would a murdering kid try to use the excuse, but honey I was high; You know it don't count when I'm high.And would the Feds. use it as a chance to say, look how bad cannabis is; the kid was so high and can not be held responsible,,, in order to hunt down the innocent plant.Something is fishy and it isn't just the timing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 30, 2004 at 09:00:18 PT If Bush Wins I'll join Soros and hole up in a monastery. The chances of serious reform would disappear if Bush wins. I am not a democrat or a republican or any party but I do see the importance of Soros backing Kerry. Sometimes I feel so alone and question if I am not seeing our future in the right way. If Bush wins will we even be able to continue trying to reform drug laws in any capacity? I sure don't think so. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 30, 2004 at 08:46:04 PT Off Topic: Soros Comes Under Fire in D.C. Says if Kerry loses he'll hole up in monastery.October 30, 2004 Billionaire financier George Soros, who is spending tens of millions to defeat President Bush, came under heavy criticism at media events in the nation's capital, including a protest in which a parent who opposes the legalization of drugs momentarily took over the podium from him. Soros told a crowd at the National Press Club he no longer was certain of a Kerry victory, and that if Bush wins, he plans to go away to "some kind of monastery to reflect on what is wrong with us." Prior to that event Thursday, a national drug summit called a press conference to "expose and oppose" Soros over his "retreat and defeat agenda in the war on drugs." Event organizers complained that through a loophole in the campaign finance law, Soros is pouring money into defeating President Bush, who opposes drug legalization. The organizers included current and former law enforcement and drug officials, anti-drug activists, and other concerned citizens. Among the speakers were Joyce Nalepka, the founder of America's Children Drug-Free; Robert Charles, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs; Donnie Marshall, a former administrator with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Peter Bensinger, a former administrator with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Dr. Robert DuPont, M.D., president of the Institute on Behavior and Health and former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Dr. Andrea Barthwell, M.D., former deputy, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Cliff Kincaid, editor of the Accuracy in Media Report, also was featured at the event and took the podium to castigate media for "failing to investigate the billionaire's drug legalization agenda for America and his controversial financial dealings." Kincaid released a report called, "The Hidden Soros Agenda: Drugs, Money, the Media, and Politics." Complete Article: http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41188 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on October 30, 2004 at 08:40:55 PT They're Really Pushing The Trash This Election So I guess the general populace is required to make the mental leap that smoking marijuana makes you kill your parents and put them into the refrigerator. Yea, right.I still believe that if someone commits a real crime like this, they should be held responsible whether or not they were under the influence of any drug - aspirin, marijuana, crack, nicotine, alcohol, or caffiene just to name a few. It's time to stop holding drugs responsible for people's actions, and hold the individuals themselves responsible. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by cloud7 on October 30, 2004 at 08:39:03 PT ... Funny how a horrific story about a young person and marijuana always seems to pop up and get a lot of play right before people go to vote on an initiative. Not ha-ha funny of course. What I wouldnt mind seeing is an article written that starts off telling how a child was taken from his parents and hardly saw them over the next decade because they were growing plants in the closet. Just as tragic and unlike a stoned kid murdering his stepmom, these are not isolated, rare instances. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment