EDITOR'S COLUMN: The lightweight in me roots for pot prohibition

At the time of writing this, I have no idea how the votes shook out last night in the Mat-Su Borough.

Probably the toughest on the docket to predict — and the issue with the most controversy and pizzazz following it — is Prop B-1, which would prohibit the sale of marijuana in borough jurisdictions outside the cities.

What’s ironic is that, for all the pomp and drama, whichever way the vote went, it really solves nothing.

If B-1 passes, it may not stand up to legal challenges pending in the courts, not to mention the considerable problems with the signed petitions that got the proposition on the ballot in the first place.

As reported in the Frontiersman on Sunday by reporter Caitlin Skvorc, the measure missed its deadline to get the required 1,098 signatures at the 90-day mark. The borough clerk, it appears, decided to give petition drivers 10 more days — which is allowed by law — to turn in their homework, as it were.

Even then, proponents cleared the bar by a mere 102 signatures, and many of those could be challenged because of multiple instances of individuals signing twice and the notary herself signing the petition — which is technically a misdemeanor, and could result in the purging of all the signatures she notarized.

If B-1 passes, and stands up to legal challenges, no one will be happier than the city of Houston.

This small town, persistently trying to find economic footing, passed a measure to allow recreational marijuana sales last year. Already the one place in the borough to go to get fireworks, Houston would have quite the boon of tourism adding marijuana to its attractions.

If B-1 doesn’t pass, it solves even less.

The borough’s moratorium on banning recreational marijuana sales expires Oct. 19, and there’s no reason to believe they wouldn’t just ignore the will of the voters and continue these moratoriums ad infinitum.

In that case, Houston would again be the big winner.

What yesterday’s vote was all about, truth be told, is a referendum on culture wars in the borough, specifically, and Alaska in general.

That’s what made it so disappointing that the proponents of the prohibition engaged in such unscientific fear-baiting about the societal effects of legalized marijuana.

The most dishonest argument put forth by the “Yes on B-1” side was that legal pot would increase the use of the drug by minors.

No one wants adolescents using marijuana. It hinders their performance in school, and diminishes their ambition and desire for social integration, things that are so important to development at that age.

This is exactly why marijuana should absolutely be legalized commercially, so that it can be treated just like alcohol.

Currently, and especially in Alaska, no bar, no convenience store and no grocery store will dare sell alcohol to anyone under 21. Very few adults will provide alcohol to minors, because the laws prohibiting it are so stiff and universally enforced.

Teenagers nationwide drink far less than they used to because of these laws. It’s not that alcohol was impossible for them to get, it just wasn’t worth the hassle, so they moved on to other drugs.

You have to imagine legal marijuana would be treated with even stiffer regulations, making it virtually impossible for anyone under 21 to acquire it at a dispensary.

Yes, there still would be a black market available to them, but there’s a black market for anything if you’re willing to pay for it.

But with the scarcity in the market for illegal pot, that price will be prohibitively high for teenagers, who will move on to some other, more affordable, distraction.

That’s what happened in Colorado, where marijuana usage by high school students fell by five percent since legalization.

But while it’s a fact that legalizing marijuana reduces use by children, it’s also a fact that it increases use by adults, increasing by five percent in Colorado after legalization.

This is where I become a little torn on the prohibition issue, because I’m a marijuana lightweight.

Sometimes, marijuana will lead me on an extremely self-conscious paranoia trip. My skin will tingle, I’ll think everyone can read my thoughts, I feel strangely claustrophobic and often I’m just desperately wishing for the feeling to pass, even if I’m giggling uncontrollably.

Then again, I’ve never done it much, and most places I have it’s been illegal.

Make it completely legal and easily attainable and it’s a pretty sure bet I’ll start using it regularly. Before long, my tolerance for it will improve, and it will become a perfectly pleasant pastime, especially since I won’t feel the guilt of doing something illegal.

That sounds good, but do I really want another habit?

Another distraction?

Another expense?

For the sake of economic prosperity of the borough, and the well-being of its young people, I hope Prop B-1 passed last night. But personally, there’s something I like about marijuana being just enough out of reach.