‘You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol’

The Mat-Su Business Alliance Inc. has openly supported Vote No On 2. On Oct. 8 they hosted Jo McGuire, Governor’s Task Force Appointee, to better understand the consequences of the newly passed law legalizing marijuana in Colorado. Unlike Colorado, the state of Alaska ballot measure process can’t be changed for two years, so should this bill pass, no changes can be made by our legislators for two years.

Here’s the deal. You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol.

Every time I hear the outside-funded Vote Yes folks say that they want to regulate marijuana like alcohol I want to correct the record, since you simply cannot regulate marijuana like alcohol.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol, because there are no clear, agreed upon or easily administered driving under the Influence (DUI) tests or standards for marijuana. Fatal accidents involving marijuana have gone up in Colorado.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because legally it is unclear if you can even tax it. There is a lawsuit in Colorado challenging taxation.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol, because under this initiative communities cannot prohibit the transportation of marijuana (including edibles, butane hash oil, and shatter) into their communities.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol because under the initiative there is no way to restrict the growing of marijuana, the processing of marijuana, or the retailing of marijuana in unincorporated areas of the state, which is almost half of the state.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol, because this initiative specifically makes it legal to produce dangerous butane hash oil and other substances from marijuana in any home, apartment, or condo, in any place in the state where someone grows marijuana.

You can’t regulate marijuana like alcohol, because of second-hand marijuana smoke. This initiative does not give you, as a neighbor, the ability to deal with it.

This outside-funded initiative is wrong for Alaska. More than 98 percent of their contributions have come from the Lower-48. They are following the legalization and commercialization playbook from Colorado. Yet even the governor of Colorado just called legalization “reckless.”

And speaking of marijuana and alcohol, it is worth noting that since commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, alcohol sales have increased, not decreased.

There are so many other problems in Colorado since legalization. Let’s not make the same mistake just because outside-interests are telling us to.

For those of you who weren’t able to attend our meeting, please go to www.matsubusinessalliance.com and quickly glance at the impact it is having on the residence of Colorado, from advertisements that will give you free hash for appliance repair services to lollipops for kids. This is bad for Mat-Su and our children.

Crystal J. Nygard is the president of the Mat-Su Business Alliance.