Convictions for marijuana-related offenses from before legalization continue to impact many Alaska residents, but a bill introduced this year could provide relief by making some low-level, pre-legalization convictions for cannabis confidential.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - It was the smell of the marijuana growing inside the garage that tipped off neighbors about the 33 marijuana plants being grown inside a small white house in a neighborhood in Wasilla.
He said the raid happened in 2014, before marijuana was legalized in Alaska. Like many others arrested for crimes related to cannabis before it legalized, Tom is faced with the lasting impacts of that arrest as he moves forward in life.
Tom is one of the many Alaskans who have been convicted and served time in prison for possessing marijuana before it was According to Edge, since 2018, marijuana possession charges accounted for 34% all new drug charges going into the system. Additionally, some Alaskans remain blocked from employment and housing opportunities because of previous marijuana possession convictions, from before legalization, that would not be a crime today.for a bill introduced this year, Legislative Research found that more than 700 Alaskans were convicted of low-level marijuana crimes between 2007 and 2017.
Asked how the organization felt about bill before lawmakers today, Chief Steve Dutra from the North Pole Police Department said in an email, “AACOP has not taken a position marijuana since the legalization and any position we would take would have to come before the board. I can certainly place the issue on the agenda and see if the board wishes to take a position.”
Even today, the rules are still in flux. It wasn’t until early in 2019 when Alaska was the first state to create an “onsite use” license.
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