Opinions

Take the profit out of marijuana, keep Alaska legalization rational and safe

Like it or not (and almost half of voting Alaskans don't like it all), legal marijuana is here for the foreseeable future.

To deal with it, we need a different approach. This is Alaska's law, and we shouldn't automatically follow what's been done -- and is not working particularly well -- in Colorado.

The Legislature must maintain public safety, and at the same time it should try to adhere to the intent of voters who primarily wanted a legal source of tested and taxed marijuana. The trick is to figure out how.

To begin with, the Legislature should realize a yes vote doesn't mean people voted for a large-scale commercial marijuana industry that floods us with kid-friendly advertising and packaging. And there was nothing in the ballot measure that says companies should provide ever-increasing THC levels in concentrated forms, like the stuff being sold in Colorado.

Should the Legislature limit advertising? Yes, of course. Ban marijuana concentrates? Definitely. Putting marijuana in foods like classic marijuana brownies is OK; however, sky-high concentrated THC should continue to be illegal.

But let's also deal with the root cause of the excesses and abuses of the marijuana industry by eliminating the commercial profit motive.

What we need are nonprofits, cooperatives, cannabis clubs, call them what you will, that responsibly grow and sell marijuana, but are not driven by profits that lead to tacky advertising and other unsavory business practices.

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Voters also wanted to minimize the illegal marijuana market, and not-for-profit outlets help accomplish that goal, too. Because they don't have to send hefty profits to their corporate bosses, nonprofits only have to cover their out-of-pocket expenses (including taxes, of course). They can therefore keep prices at a reasonable level, and responsible users can avoid the temptation of low prices charged by street dealers.

In Colorado, marijuana taxes and corporate profit margins have pushed the retail price much higher than the illegal street price. So illegal street sellers continue to thrive. (Paying $200 an ounce for street marijuana may not seem like a bargain, but it beats paying double that price in retail stores.)

Taking the profit out of marijuana selling and growing is a win-win scenario. Well, maybe not for the commercial marijuana industry that's now going gangbusters in Colorado.

Legislators who support this should be prepared for marijuana industry lobbyists to pressure them to back off. Maybe it's time for legislators to also hear from responsible not-for-profit cooperatives willing to provide regulated and tested marijuana at a reasonable price.

Dean Guaneli worked for the Alaska Attorney General's Office from 1976-2006. He drafted Alaska's medical marijuana law in 1999, and non-medical marijuana law in 2006. He is retired in Juneau.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com

Dean Guaneli

Dean Guaneli worked for the Alaska Attorney General’s Office from 1976 to 2006. He drafted Alaska’s medical marijuana law in 1999, and its non-medical marijuana re-criminalization law in 2006. He is retired in Juneau.

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