Un-necessary consequences for Marijuana By Anthony M. Johnson June 06, 2014
Fellow Alaskans and Ketchikan residents. Today I'm urging you to vote in favor of Alaska's new Marijuana Initiative. I wish to remind Ketchikan Residents that one out of two of your children will try this drug, which is most comparable to Alcohol, Nicotine and even Caffeine. I wish to re-iterate, No one deserves to go to jail over Marijuana, and No one deserves to have their future job and career prospects ruined by a Felony or Misdemeanor for Marijuana. I hope all Alaskans can agree the War on Drugs has been a failure and arguing to send my children to jail over this stupid plant should be a thing of the past. Mr. Seibert, I am also for accountability. Should this Initiative pass, when one of my two children, under the age of 21, gets caught with Marijuana they will get a Minor Consuming and Community Service. The same as alcohol. This is accountability I can accept. Children do dumb things, they don't deserve to have a Marijuana drug charge on their record forever. Mr. Seibert, since you are apparently going to move to our fine town sometime in the distant future, allow me to elaborate just how easy it is to get arrested for Intent to distribute Marijuana in Alaska; Three teens decide they wish to try smoking pot. They pool their $75 and have enough for three grams of it. The oldest of the three, Brian, just turned 18 and his fellow students are both 17. Brian knows someone whom he can procure such a thing from, so he takes his friends money and purchases his three individually bagged grams. On his way back he is pulled over and arrested. Because he had this pot in individually packaged bags, he is charged with Intent to Distribute, spends up to a year in jail, doesn't go to college and his future job prospects go in the garbage. Brian didn't make any money off this. He's never smoked pot before and doesn't deserve such a punishment. However, due to the laws today in Alaska, he will pay for his young mistake forever. By voting for this initiative, I'm voting for my children's future. Mr. Seibert suggests a judge will be rational and have lenience if your kid is good. I'm unwilling to leave it to the discretion of a Judge looking at my child's shaved head and hoodie. I am in favor of accountability in the form of a Minor Consuming and Community Service. I am in favor of eliminating the drug dealer Brian bought from, and making Brian find an adult over 21 to try and convince to make this purchase. Every wonder why kids can get pot easier than alcohol? I am in favor of taxing this plant and putting the millions earned in tax revenue toward the funding of prevention and education programs for our children. Our current approach is not working. I'm in favor of trying a better approach. Last, Mr. Seibert, I wish to ask you. What do you have to gain from Marijuana remaining Illegal? Are you employed by a state funded halfway house? Or are you in the substance testing industry? Has your job been made obsolete due to the legalization effort in Colorado? I ask because many of the folks writing these letters opposing Alaska's Initiative I have found to be in an industry profiting from the incarceration of our children over Marijuana. Fellow Alaskan's, I urge you to pass this initiative. The War on Drugs has failed. We have an opportunity to give our children a better chance at life, liberty and freedom. Let's never lose another young child's future again. Thank You Very Much. Sincerely, Anthony M. Johnson About: A concerned Ketchikan parent. Suspicious of Non-Alaskan's trying to convince me what's best for Alaska. Received June 04, 2014 - Published June 06, 2014 Related Viewpoint:
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