Thursday, April 20, 2006

Alaska Governor Murkowski dealt a set-back The story so far... The Alaskan Supreme Court rules that the state constitution's privacy provision prevents arresting individuals for possessing up to four ounces of marijuana in their home, under the notion that marijuana isn't dangerous enough to justify the privacy intrusion. This pisses Governor Murkowski who really wants to go after marijuana users more than anything. So he holds some sham hearings to try to make the case that marijuana is now much more dangerous. He then slips in a marijuana re-criminalization bill and gets it attached to a meth bill. The idea is that he'll fight it up to the State Supreme Court again -- this time proving that the "new" marijuana is really, really dangerous. It looked like it was a sure battle, until... JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska House dealt a setback on Wednesday to Gov. Frank Murkowski's efforts to recriminalize marijuana. Eight Republicans joined thirteen Democrats to reject a compromise measure that linked what the governor called a "must-have" marijuana bill with a measure that restricts the sale of over-the-counter drugs used in making methamphetamine. The vote was 19-21. House majority leader John Coghill, R-North Pole, described the vote as a "surprise." Coghill, who supported the measure, earlier said he was confident that lawmakers would embrace tougher measures dealing with methamphetamine, despite some opposition over the marijuana provisions. "Obviously some other things happened. There was tension between the House and the Senate and I think that's where we ended up," he said.[...] While many expressed strong support for the methamphetamine provisions, they said the governor's attempt to recriminalize marijuana needed a thorough vetting in the House, something that was denied when the Senate combined the bills. [...] The drug bill contains a series of findings that Murkowski plans to use as a tool to overturn a 31-year-old Supreme Court ruling that makes it legal to possess small amounts of marijuana in the home. The court had ruled that Alaskan's right to privacy was far more important than any harm that could be caused by the drug. Way to go, Alaska. 3:59:51 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

A range of opinions on marijuana A very thoughtful article by William W. Savage III in the oudaily about the different viewpoints that emerge in a discussion about legalizing medical marijuana in Oklahoma. I think it's well written because it really get to the heart of where people are coming from on these issues, from the hardcore opposition: Asked if there is a way to use marijuana responsibly, Balkman said, "Not that I'm aware of. I don't think there is." [...] Balkman said he is unaware of marijuana having medical benefits. ... to the enlightened: "The drug war is very profitable," said Ron Shewey, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma and advocate of Oklahoma's Compassionate Care Campaign. "The police and prisons are the two largest growing industries in America today," Shewey said. "We've now got 2.2 million people behind bars in America. We're No. 1 in incarceration per capita in the world, and a substantial amount of that is drug war. Here in Oklahoma, 32 percent of our prison population is there for drugs." and the moderate: "There would have to be a big educational effort with the public because the public still views marijuana in the same class as other dangerous drugs," said District 44 State Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman. "What happened to marijuana is that, it may be much more innocent than methamphetamine and heroin, but in the '60s, it got put into that dangerous category of drugs." It's important for us to understand and see all the perspectives out there, even when, in the case of Balkman, they have no connection to reality. 1:30:19 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []