cannabisnews.com: House OKs Drug Bill










  House OKs Drug Bill

Posted by CN Staff on May 07, 2006 at 08:21:09 PT
By Andrew Petty, Juneau Empire 
Source: Juneau Empire 

Alaska -- Five legislators changing their votes were more than enough to reverse the House's previous rejection of a bill that aims to recriminalize marijuana possession and curb purchases of ingredients used in cooking methamphetamine. On Friday evening, a bill shot down by lawmakers last month was revived on the floor and passed with a vote of 24-14.The vote came up a day after Gov. Frank Murkowski called a news conference and put the "methijuana" bill on his must pass list for the remainder of the session, which ends Tuesday night.
A week before the news conference, the governor told reporters he woulddispatch his staff to change the minds of the few lawmakers needed to pass the bill.House Speaker John Harris said he thinks it wasn't the governor twisting arms, but representatives cooling their ire over the Senate's move earlier this session to merge a marijuana bill with a methamphetamine bill. The marijuana portion was only heard in the House Judiciary Committee but the panel never voted on the bill."The Senate put two bills together, and a number of our members weren't happy with that process and now have softened their feelings a little bit," Harris said.House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage, said the change of heart was less about time softening their positions and more about time being spent somewhere else."Maybe it was time spent in the governor's office, maybe it was time spent being persuaded with capital projects," said Berkowitz, but adding that he would not say who changed their votes to get money for their districts.Harris said the governor may have influenced lawmakers, but he did not know for sure.Juneau Republican Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch changed his vote after previously opposing HB 149. Others that flipped Friday night were Reps. Reggie Joule, D-Kotzebue; Pete Kott, R-Eagle River; Carl Moses, D-Unalaska.Rep. Beth Kerttula, Juneau's Democrat in the House, voted against the bill again Friday.Berkowitz expressed his frustration of the House bowing down to the Senate. The House is trying to write a version of a new oil tax plan with its own provisions, but some fear the Senate or the administration may bully the House into adopting their versions."To me this shows how distorted this process has become and why you have to get the oil tax into a special session so that legislators aren't subject to the arm twisting and the inducement and the threats that are part of a regular session," Berkowitz said.HB 149 aims to get ingredients used in cooking methamphetamine out of the hands of home manufacturers. The bill would require pharmacies to place certain cold and allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed, behind the counter. Customers would need to sign a log book every time they make a purchase.The marijuana portion of the bill would change the way marijuana possession is prosecuted in Alaska.A series of Alaska Supreme Court rulings since 1975 have upheld the decision to allow residents to possess as much as 4 ounces of marijuana in their homes, saying that Alaskans have the right to keep private the amount of marijuana they smoke.But according to the bill, those possessing more than 4 ounces would be charged with a Class C felony, which would carry a maximum prison sentence of five years.Those with an ounce would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, with a possible sentence of up to a year in jail. Those possessing marijuana weighing less than an ounce would be charged with a Class B misdemeanor.The bill also contains findings that say today's marijuana is more potent than the marijuana smoked in the 1970s, and the court should consider it a threat to society, mainly children."I think adults, personal private use, non-commercial growers, nobody is going to see a change in their lifestyle," said Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, the sponsor of the methamphetamine portion of the bill.Ramras said the state would use the bill to concentrate on kids smoking and stopping commercial growers."It's already against the law for kids to consume and possess marijuana, and it's already against the law for adults to provide marijuana to kids," wrote MichaelMacleod-Ball, executive director, in a letter on Friday addressed to the attorney general.The Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has repeatedly vowed to challenge the bill in court after the governor signs the bill into law."If this bill passes in its current form, we will bring suit to protect the scope of individual privacy in Alaska, and we will succeed in doing so," the letter concluded.Note: Five votes changed to pass methijuana bill.Source: Juneau Empire (AK)Author: Andrew Petty, Juneau EmpirePublished: May 7, 2006 Copyright: 2006 Southeastern Newspaper CorpWebsite: http://www.juneauempire.com/Contact: letterstotheeditor juneauempire.comRelated Articles:House Passes Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21824.shtmlMarijuana Fight Diverts Attention From Real Issueshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21816.shtml House Rejects Drug Measure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21747.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #11 posted by FoM on May 08, 2006 at 20:51:33 PT
Thanks Whig
I am watching this now. Thanks for the link. The video reminds me of why I can never go back to see New York City again. I want to remember it the way it was. This person seems a little extreme but the video sheds a lot of light on how things are now. I'm glad that I don't have a label. I have no idea what I would be called. This person is very critical. Michael Moore made a movie and tried to detail a serious issue but lighten it with humor. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6495462761605341661
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by whig on May 08, 2006 at 20:26:56 PT
FoM
Here's the updated graphic to include the new poll results:http://tinyurl.com/ytgzn
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by whig on May 08, 2006 at 14:19:58 PT
But at least he caught a fish!
http://greatmoments.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 08, 2006 at 12:43:11 PT
BGreen
I had a couple people tell me recently that the moon was made of green cheese and the earth was flat. Now I understand! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by BGreen on May 08, 2006 at 12:38:37 PT
It's easy for bush to get the 31%'ers
They're the people that believe the earth is flat, the moon is made of green cheese and that bush is really a Christian.The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 08, 2006 at 12:21:55 PT
whig 
That's good news. I still don't know how he could get even 31% though.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by whig on May 08, 2006 at 12:11:11 PT
OT: 31%
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by afterburner on May 08, 2006 at 12:00:42 PT
Methamphetamine Is a PROHIBITION Stalking Horse
"The vote came up a day after Gov. Frank Murkowski called a news conference and put the "methijuana" bill on his must pass list for the remainder of the session, which ends Tuesday night."Why couldn't the Alaskan House Representatives, who opposed recriminalizing cannabis and revoking the right of privacy, just stall until tomorrow? Cowards! "A week before the news conference, the governor told reporters he would dispatch his staff to change the minds of the few lawmakers needed to pass the bill.""dispatch his staff to change the minds of the few lawmakers"Are those anything like the Tom DeLay-led "inspectors" that bullied the Florida recount of the George Bush election in 2000?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by unkat27 on May 08, 2006 at 08:39:26 PT
Vultures eat innocent victims in a field of blood
The vulture Murkowski reaps his carnage. Let all the vampires drink an extra pint of virgins blood in praise of his misguided war on the innocents.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #1 posted by dongenero on May 08, 2006 at 07:50:50 PT

to the supreme court............
I wonder how much this folly will cost the taxpayers.That's okay, it's all about Murkowski's power grab.
[ Post Comment ]





  Post Comment