Marijuana Laws a High Priority in Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Wev Shea has been fighting Alaska's marijuana laws for more than two decades. And what a long strained trip it's been.

As a U.S. attorney in Alaska a decade ago, Shea took a tough stand against illegal drugs and was often criticized for it.

In 1990, he backed the initiative that criminalized pot in the state. In 1998, he unsuccessfully fought a voter initiative for medical marijuana. And in 2000, he helped defeat what he called a "bizarre" attempt to legalize marijuana and consider reparations for some drug convicts.

"There's a lot of people that still think smoking dope is just as fine as having a glass of wine or a beer," said Shea, 59, of Anchorage. "The general consensus is it really doesn't affect us, and we are free thinkers."

Like voters in several states, Alaskans may soon be asked to rethink some of the tough anti-drug policies adopted during the Reagan era of "Just Say No."

more.............

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-alaska-pot,0,1457181.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

I never really thought about growing weed and Alaska before.

It is nice to think we are getting away from the false "panacea" of just say no.

tell us what is wrong with smoking pot.

:evilgrin:

When I lived in Alaska the Churches came in and in large numbers and said they would run the state and they started to take it over. Once a So Bap. came from his church and said we would not be taught something in a college class. It really was something to see. We had a lot of trouble with Bible reading in college. Sometimes you had to see big wigs to get it stopped as it was hard to study.Some students would only use the Bible as a class book. It was crazy. The big thing when I left was if the church would take care of wife and child beating or the police.