Alaska to Vote on Cannabis Legalization in 2014

Alaska to Vote on Cannabis Legalization in 2014

In a step that puts Alaska on track to be the 3rd state in the U.S. to legalize cannabis, advocates have garnered enough signatures to put the issue to a vote of the people in 2014.

According to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana, the organization behind the initiative, they’ve collected just under 45,000 (44,845) signatures from Alaska voters, roughly 15,000 more than required to put the initiative to a vote this coming August; the group officially has until the 21st of January, but will be submitting the signatures with the state once they reach their goal of 45,000.

If the initiative is approved by voters, the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis and the private cultivation of up to 6 plants will be legalized for adults 21+, as will state-licensed cannabis retail outlets. This proposal has had financial backing from the Marijuana Policy Project.

“We’re a quirky, very libertarian state, and our polling indicates the initiative will pass”, Timothy Hinterberger, the prime sponsor of the initiative who also works as a Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Alaska, tells us. “If the current trend of a rapid shift in public attitudes toward cannabis continues, I have every reason to believe we’ll succeed.”

– TheJointBlog