Medical and recreational pot — legalize it

With all the hubbub going on about marijuana in Colorado and Washington, it got me thinking perhaps we should do the same thing here. Legalize it. It used to be fairly legal up here for awhile in the past, but this time around we need to something different. Tax it.

Why tax it? Simply said, the revenues raised could go toward our schools, roads and other vital infrastructure in this state. From what Colorado has raised tax-wise — roughly $5 million in the first week of legal sales — that state projects about $600 million in sales and it expects to collect about $70 million in taxes. That’s not chump change. It could prove to be a major shot in the arm for Alaska if we do the same.

And it wouldn’t be just about taxes. It will mean jobs as well. Somebody has to grow it. Somebody has to package and distribute it. Somebody has to sell it at a retail store or medical dispensary. Of course, someone has to regulate and enforce laws and codes for all sales and efforts to remain above-board and legal. You could say (pardon the pun) this could spark a homegrown industry.

Are there problems with this? Yes, there are more than a few. One of the largest is banking. There is a conflict between the way banks see money coming in from these start-up businesses in legal marijuana retail and medical sales and the law. Financial institutions fear they could be implicated as money launderers for providing traditional banking services to these businesses. It seems to be a conflict between state and federal law and how the banks interpret them regarding this issue. And this has been a big problem for these new businesses flush with a lot of hard cash, in Colorado and Washington state. Hopefully, this problem is solved soon or it will prove to be a major security headache of migraine proportions.

Another is just how to regulate it all. From what I have been reading and viewing on the TV and other news media, some of these operations and shops have better security than the CIA. This isn’t by law enforcement. It is by the owners themselves. It will be a challenge to both law enforcement and those wanting make a legal business out of it. I think we are up to that challenge.

There is an initiative being put forth by the group Campaign to Regulate Marijuana. The local backers of it needed 30,000 signatures turned in to the Alaska Division of Elections to get it on the Aug. 19 ballot. They turned in 46,000 signatures on Jan. 8. The division of election has 60 days to review the initiative and decide whether it meets the standards to appear on to the ballot. I am hopeful it will pass muster and appear on the ballot so the people of Alaska can decide this issue.

This could be a boon for our economy in many ways. A lot of Alaskans out there already grow it. A lot use it for medical reasons and have the card to prove it. Why not open it up and turn the dishonest dollar in recreational use into an honest buck? Treat it like alcohol — regulate and tax it the same way. I believe Alaska is more than ready for this change.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.