YES ON MEASURE 2

To the editor:

A writer stated that marijuana is evil and that having it around the
house leaves youth vulnerable to use of marijuana. This same logic
could be used for a wide variety of items, including alcohol and
tobacco and even firearms. Ballot Measure 2 proposes that marijuana be
regulated like tobacco and alcohol. Legal age for purchase and use of
these products is 19 and 21, respectively. Measure 2 sets the age for
marijuana purchase and use at 21.

Every European country that has decriminalized marijuana has a lower
rate of use than the United States. The dozen states that have adopted
laws reducing marijuana possession from a jail sentence to a fine have
not seen an increase in use. In the landmark report, "Informing
America's Policy On Illegal Drugs: What We Don't Know Keeps Hurting
Us," the National Research Council concluded that stricter laws and
tougher punishments have little or no effect on marijuana use.

A concern sometimes expressed is that marijuana is a "gateway drug,"
that its use leads to consumption and addiction to substances like
cocaine and heroin. Research suggests that it is marijuana prohibition
itself that causes the "gateway affect" by forcing marijuana into the
same illicit marketplace as cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth.

In a comparison between Amsterdam, where adults may possess small
amounts of marijuana and purchase it from regulated merchants, and San
Francisco, where marijuana is illegal, both marijuana and other drug
use rates were lower in Amsterdam.

The initiative could allow development of new hemp product industries
providing economic opportunities for Alaskans. Hemp fibers, seeds, and
oil are used abroad to manufacture thousands of products, including
clothing and paper. Marijuana has medicinal properties that are being
continually developed and accepted.

Marijuana prohibition does not work. Alaska teens get carded if they
try to purchase alcohol or cigarettes but not marijuana. Measure 2
would reduce teen access to marijuana by taking it off the streets and
regulating it. Millions of tax dollars that are used to lock up
nonviolent Americans could be freed to focus on violent crimes and
other societal needs. Please vote yes on 2!

Mark Linkhorst

Fairbanks