Lawmakers in Alaska amend Marijuana Crime Bill

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on March 12, 2015.

Although the Senate Judiciary Committee in Alaska had drafted a bill that removed marijuana from the list of controlled substances, the newest version of 'SB 30' - the Marijuana Crime Bill reinstated pot as a controlled substance. some crimes could be prosecuted as felonie, as per the amendments.

Judiciary committee member Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage slammed the move, saying the decision taken at the Senate Judiciary Committee, had gone through a real collaborative process and should not have been tweaked further.

Senate Finance co-chair Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River downplayed Bill's criticism, saying the amendments were made after hearing the public testimony and people's decision must be respected. "This is the people’s bill and so I’m not sure how it was handled in Judiciary. ... We try to work with everybody," he said.

The lawmakers have added a section that would give regulators some enforcement authority over marijuana businesses.

The Amendments in Marijuana Crime Bill:

* The new changes would allow emergency services personnel younger than 21 to enter a marijuana business if their services are needed there.
* Marijuana would not be delivered to a person's home for sale.
* Minors found guilty of marijuana crime, can be diverted to a community panel.
* It would be a crime to possess pot 1 pound or more, possess 25 plants or more, or give marijuana to someone under 21 years old twice in five years.

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