Anchorage's next mayor will have a lot to tackle when she or he takes office later this year, but one topic seems to have the most uncharted territory: marijuana legalization.
Of the three leading candidates who have announced their intention to seek office -- Amy Demboski, Dan Coffey and Andrew Halcro -- all have opinions when it comes to marijuana.
Halcro touched on his position on marijuana at a panel discussion by the Alaska Native Professionals Association on marijuana legalization last week.
Halcro approached the meeting as one of his last acts as president of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Last week, he formally announced his plans to run for mayor of Anchorage. He said he did not personally support Ballot Measure 2 and voted no on the measure that legalized recreational marijuana in Alaska.
Halcro said he was conflicted over the decision. He was elected to state House of Representatives in 1998, the same year Alaska voters approved medical marijuana. However, no system of acquiring the drug was ever set up. He said he supported setting up a medical marijuana distribution system, but that his work on education in recent years has made him leery of the impact drugs have on schools. He noted that in an Alaska schools survey, teachers across the board listed drugs as a key contributor affecting student learning.
Despite his personal opposition, he said he respects the will of the Alaska voters and that it's now time for state and local governments to "manage their expectations."
Halcro said the key to implementing marijuana laws would be keeping good data right away. He expects to see guidance from both the Anchorage Assembly and the business community on what that data collection will look like and how it will guide policy now and into the future, especially as the state deals with cost cutting.
"This is the most radical drug experiment the state has ever undertaken and we have to do it right because there is significant risk out there," he said.
Dan Coffey said he too voted no on the measure, but that he respects the will of the voters. An attorney, he said he has reached out to city attorneys in Seattle and Denver to learn more about how they've handled regulating the substance.
Now his biggest concern is seeing what comes out of Juneau in terms of the regulations. He said whatever happens during the legislative session and rule-making process will ultimately impact how he sees the city moving forward with its own rules.
"There's too much uncertainty to start writing laws today, but let's see what plays out in Juneau," he said earlier this week.
When asked if he would support a ban similar to what Demboski introduced in November, he also thought it was too soon to say. He said he had concerns over certain issues -- like driving under the influence and edibles -- but that he had faith in watching the process move forward.
"I may have concerns allayed," he said. "I am a true believer in process."
Demboski said she still has significant questions on what kind of liabilities the city could face when it comes to marijuana legalization. She said that federal law prohibiting the substance could potentially lead to conflicts. She noted that while the Obama administration has been hands-off in prosecuting marijuana crimes in states where the substance is legal, that could change with a new administration in 2016. Demboski particularly expressed concerns over any tax revenue collected and whether that might put taxpayer money at risk.
"We want to make sure what ever we develop is sound," she said.
Despite backlash from her effort to ban commercial marijuana in the municipality, she said her position on the issue hasn't changed. She said she will still approach the issue cautiously, looking for possible "land mines" along the way.
"I don't know how the city will develop our regulations. I think it's too premature to say yet," she said. "People still can't answer basic questions."