Alaska Reporter who quit on Live TV over Marijuana Legalization faces Jail Term

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on October 07, 2016.

A former Alaska television reporter who quit her job live on air in 2014, in protest of Alaska's marijuana laws, is facing 54 years in prison for allegedly running an illegal marijuana shop.

Charlo Greene revealed herself to be the owner and operator of the Alaska Cannabis Club during a live broadcast for KVTA in September 2014.

Twenty-eight year old Greene dedicated herself to campaigning for the legalization of marijuana across the state, celebrating in February 2015 when it became legal for adults. 

Authorities in Alaska had launched a series of raids on her club and eventually charged Greene. Police targeted the operation and made six undercover purchases as well as two raids over a period of five months. The Alaska attorney general’s office had already been charging her with eight counts, but the sentence has gotten heavier. She's been slapped with 14 criminal charges.

According to the court records, Greene wasn’t directly involved in the undercover transactions, but was only charged since the business was registered on her name. Her marijuana business and two others are facing the penalties because they started operations before the marijuana law of the state came into effect, according to a report.

Though the state legalized the manufacture, sale and possession of the marijuana in 2015, it had failed to give Greene the proper certifications for the club to run retail operations.

Alaska became the third state in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana just two months after Greene walked off air. The marijuana law in Alaska states that anyone aged 21 and older can legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow as many as six marijuana plants at home.  

Alaska has so far approved 83 licenses, of which 17 are retail businesses that haven’t opened yet.

comments powered by Disqus