Let's be logical regarding marijuana legalization

Were you aware that there are TWO ballot measures that will be voted on in the MatSu on Oct 4th regarding Marijuana?

The first one being B1 to prohibit any Legal marijuana business types in the borough and on the same ballot is B5 to enact a 5% sales Tax on any marijuana products sold. I can get behind a Tax on Marijuana.

Ummmmmm wait.....

How can we collect a tax on something that is prohibited? Are we somehow going to suddenly be able to tax the already thriving black market? That's not very feasible, is it? If it were, why haven't we been doing it for the last 40 years here in the valley?

Let's be logical about this for a moment shall we?

Here are some facts about the legal requirements surrounding marijuana businesses that you may not be aware of.

There are 4 Marijuana license types:

CULTIVATION: The growing of the plant. (Sounds so much simpler then it is). Sells product ONLY to other license types. No general public sales.

PRODUCTION: creating edibles(5mg per serving limit), concentrates, lotions & topicals, and tinctures. Sells only to other license types. No general public sales.

RETAIL: The ONLY establishment the general public may enter and the only place marijuana products of any kind may be purchased by the general public. MUST BE 21 TO ENTER. All retail stores are required to bag products in child resistant exit packaging.

TESTING FACILITIES: where ALL marijuana products are tested. Must be run by a Scientific Director with a Doctorate in Chemical or Biological Sciences and may not hold,or employ anyone who holds any interest in any other marijuana license types. No sales of marijuana product of any kind.

Each license type goes before a state board (The Marijuana Control Board or MCB) to be approved for a license only after completing an application PROCESS, which includes federal background checks and Residency requirements, as well as time for local protest. In this application each license hopeful will share all aspects of their business with the Marijuana Control Board. They will often have to answer multiple questions posed by the board during interview process to clarify any questions the board may have regarding anything from operations plan to waste management, diversion plans and ownership interests.

All establishments are:

HIGHLY REGULATED more strict then alcohol. A few of those regulations include:

NO sales to ANYONE under 21 for retail, NO ONE UNDER 21 may enter any premises EVER. Strict video in every corner of ALL marijuana establishments including outside of facilities (NO BLIND SPOTS) which can be viewed by MCB at any time. Seed to sale computer tracking on every single plant which is monitored by the state. Security protocol requirements set by the state and can be MONITORED by the state.

All employees, owners, and agents of a marijuana establishment must possess a marijuana handlers permit, which requires classes and individual testing.

STRINGENT TESTING of PRODUCT means: testing required by the state to check for molds, mildews, pesticides, chemicals, and % of THC which will be listed on ALL packaging. REQUIRED by the state. These tests are performed by state licensed Labs, that may hold NO interest in any other marijuana license types at all.

AND

TAXED: $50.00 excise tax per ounce paid to the state from cultivation facilities as well as any other local sales tax enacted by local governments.

5% sales tax being an average to gain and maintain sales away from black market. These are a tiny handful of regulation requirements that must be upheld by any type of marijuana business.

After seeing ALL that, I now I ask you this,

At a time when Alaskan Residents are very angry because over half of our dividends are being taken by the state due to our financial crises, why would we even think of saying no to a viable source of income for the state AND local governments?

We could just leave it to the already thriving black market that is held to NONE of those requirements.

Also remember, like with alcohol in the 30's, black market sales drop with a thriving regulated legal market. Think about that for a moment.

Get Out and Vote OCT 4th

It's your choice, mine will be,

NO on B1

&

YES on B5

Oct 4th.

We can't afford not to.

Please share the info with everyone you know!