POT FANS SPOTTY

Valley Nixed Proposition 5

An initiative to legalize marijuana and industrial hemp may have been
voted down statewide Tuesday, but it passed in the state capital, and
in Girdwood and Talkeetna, as well as in a handful of Anchorage
neighborhoods.

These bastions, or outposts, of liberal thinking did not include most
of the Mat-Su, where pot farms have become nearly synonymous with
agriculture.

Just because Mountain View and Fairview approved the marijuana
initiative, Proposition 5, does not mean they are populated by pot
smokers, said Allen Kemplen, a former state representative for
Fairview. Rather, he said, it shows a belief in the right to privacy.

"There's a strong sense among these Alaskans that what someone does
in the privacy of their own homes is their business," he said.

Larry Persily, former editor of the Juneau Empire and longtime Juneau
resident, said Juneau voters are known for their liberal leanings so
the vote didn't surprise him.

Still, he said, "It's a little weird when you think people in
downtown Juneau don't even have a yard to grow pot even if they
wanted to. It's very old tightly packed homes."

No so for Talkeetna, where land and support for marijuana are both
plentiful. The pot measure there passed by nearly 2-to-1.

Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Dallas Massie, who patrols Talkeetna,
explained the vote this way: "Different lifestyles."

Talkeetna was among several communities in House District 28 that
voted to OK the use of industrial hemp and make it legal for people
over 18 to smoke pot in private. Others included Houston, Meadow
Lakes and Trapper Creek.

But the measure still failed in Mat-Su, despite this being home to
the most well-known brand name of Alaska-grown pot. "I think it's a
small percentage of people growing," said Rep. Scott Ogan of Palmer.

In Girdwood, the measure passed overwhelmingly -- 599 to 253. Other
pockets of support included Sitka and Gustavus in Southeast, Fritz
Creek in the Homer area and Moose Pass on the Kenai Peninsula.

In addition to Fairview and Mountain View, the proposition passed in
a sprinkling of other Anchorage neighborhoods: in Spenard, Midtown
and Downtown.

Elmendorf Air Force Base voters apparently thought little of the
initiative. In one precinct, 80 percent of the 1,259 votes cast were
No votes, compared to 60 percent statewide.

An exit poll of nearly 800 residents conducted for CNN by Voter News
Service shed some light on who voted which way. It found that
younger, less-affluent Alaskans and those who identified themselves
as liberal were more likely to vote for the measure while older,
Protestant Republicans were more likely to vote against it.

"The conservatives beaned us bad," said Jolene Brown, a volunteer
with Hemp 2000.