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Alaska LEOs Prep For Feb. 24 Marijuana Legalization

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Alaska is less than two months away and law enforcement officers in the state are still figuring out how the new laws are going to be regulated.

According to the Alaska Dispatch News:

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Right now, APD’s focus is on the short term — the months between when the initiative goes into effect and when additional regulations are crafted. That’s the time when the Anchorage Police Department will have “no additional guidance from the Legislature,” [APD Chief Mark] Mew said.

One of the most pressing issues facing law enforcement is how public consumption will be handled. Come Feb. 24, people 21 and older can legally possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana. But they can’t legally smoke it in public.

The initiative states that a person smoking pot in public is subject to a fine “up to” $100, but what will the actual fine be and what is the definition of “public”?

Officers need those aspects of the law defined before Feb. 24. Otherwise, Mew said, “we have the authority to enforce a law that doesn’t exist.”

“We’re flying by the seat of our pants,” Mew told the Alaska Dispatch News.

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