RECRIMINALIZE POT? RIDICULOUS!

THAT IDEA OUGHT TO GO UP IN SMOKE

The Legislature is considering wasting our tax money trying to
recriminalize marijuana at a time that Canada and Great Britain both
have decided that arresting their citizens for possession of small
amounts of marijuana is a poor use of resources. At the same time, a
remake of the most ridiculous propaganda film made in the United
States, the 1936 "Reefer Madness," is released. It is a ridiculous
effort when you consider that the Alaska Supreme Court has already
found that possession of less than 4 ounces of "the evil weed" is
legal in one's own home. This makes the new laws unconstitutional
before they are even a part of the thousands of pages of laws that the
law enforcement community can't enforce with its current resources.

The city of Anchorage last year was unable to investigate 75 percent
of sexual assaults. Now our Legislature would have it dedicate more
resources to arresting, adjudicating and incarcerating its residents
for a "crime" that 44 percent of the Alaska's voters decided to legalize.

If you want to put the whole process in perspective, rent the 1936
version of "Reefer Madness," then watch Showtime's 2005 remake,
"Reefer Madness, the Movie Musical." After enjoying the movies, you
will wonder what our legislators have been smoking by the pound or
drinking by the gallon in the state capital!

Joey Brockhouse

Chugiak