YES ON MEASURE 2: MARIJUANA INITIATIVE WILL RESTORE ORDER

I support Ballot Measure 2 because of a moral obligation to protect
our right to privacy, to make marijuana available for medicinal use
and to protect families from consequences of current marijuana laws.
As a mother, I want my child to know the difference between marijuana
and hard drugs, and I believe Measure 2 makes this distinction. As an
Alaskan, I want to feel safe in the privacy of my own home as
guaranteed by our state constitution. Measure 2 reaffirms this right
and will stop federal Drug Enforcement Administration raids on family
homes. As a biomedical scientist, I am committed to making the most
effective medicines available to those who need it. Measure 2 will
send a second message to our legislators that we want marijuana
available for those who need it for medical reasons.

* Current laws do not keep marijuana away from our children. Evidence
suggests that marijuana is easily available to high school students.
These surveys are supported by stories from teenagers in the Fairbanks
North Star Borough who say it is easier to obtain marijuana than
either beer or cigarettes, which are legally regulated. Regulating
legal marijuana use and distribution for adults will eliminate the
illicit market where children have equal access. In the Netherlands,
where marijuana use or distribution is not treated as a crime, half as
many high school students report using marijuana as in the United
States. Marijuana laws put our children and adults in contact with
dealers of hard drugs and fail to distinguish risks associated with
marijuana from much greater risks posed by drugs such as cocaine,
methamphetamine, inhalants or ecstasy.

By taking marijuana out of the hands of drug dealers, Measure 2 has
the potential to reduce the use of hard drugs in Alaska by allowing
adults who use marijuana to obtain it from regulated establishments
instead of having to resort to the criminal market.

* Current marijuana laws pose much greater risks than marijuana use.
As a scientist with 13 years experience in drug abuse research and 11
peer-reviewed scientific publications in this area, I know that legal
consequences of marijuana cultivation and distribution far outweigh
medical and social consequences of marijuana use. In our own community
of Fairbanks, we have witnessed families devastated by legal
consequences of marijuana laws. DEA agents raid homes with automatic
weapons, assets are confiscated without due process and parents are
separated from their children for years to decades at a time. It is a
moral obligation to bring consequences of marijuana laws in line with
the risks of marijuana use. Parents in prison cannot be parents.

* Medical marijuana is not available for patients. Although a medical
marijuana initiative passed in 1998 with 59 percent approval by Alaska
voters, subsequent legislation was written that severely limits
medical use. Our legislators ignored the people of Alaska when they
failed to provide a legal source of medical marijuana. Many patients
have abandoned the system of registration, which invades their privacy
and fails to offer them the medicine their doctors recommend. Measure
2 will send a second message to our legislators that we want marijuana
made available for the seriously ill.

Alaska has a unique opportunity to lead the nation in reform of
marijuana laws. This will take a concerted effort on the part of
independent thinkers who value their privacy. If passed, Measure 2
will stop the arrests, and our legislators will decide how marijuana
will be regulated. If this legislation is in conflict with federal
law, our appeals courts will decide if Alaska or the federal
government has jurisdiction over marijuana laws. Measure 2 is just one
small step to reform marijuana laws and protect the privacy of
Alaskans. It is an important step that I urge all Alaskans to support.
Together, we can make a difference.