By Matt Ferner In yet another major pushback against the war on drugs Tuesday, Alaska legalized recreational marijuana joining Oregon and Washington, D.C. — both of which which legalized cannabis only hours before on election day. Alaska becomes the fourth state in the U.S. to legalize retail marijuana, along with Oregon, Colorado and Washington state.

Voters approved Measure 2, which legalizes the possession, use and sale of recreational marijuana. Adults, age 21 and older, may possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants (with no more than three being mature) for personal use. The measure also legalizes the manufacture, sale and possession of marijuana paraphernalia, such as devices used for smoking or storing the plant.

alaska-weed

Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement early Wednesday morning: “The folks trying to keep marijuana illegal are relying on the same scare tactics today that they have relied on for decades, but voters just aren’t falling for it anymore. The results are particularly encouraging since voter turnout during a midterm election is typically smaller, older, and more conservative. Clearly, support for ending marijuana prohibition spans the political and ideological spectrums.”

Alaska was not the only place to weigh this issue on Tuesday — both Oregon and Washington, D.C. legalized recreational marijuana, while a medical marijuana measure failed in Florida — but the fate of Alaska’s measure seemed to be the most uncertain. Two polls released on the same day last month appeared to reach near-opposite conclusions about the sentiments of Alaskan voters, with one poll finding 53 percent opposing legalization and the other finding 57 percent supporting it.

Earlier this year, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell (R), an opponent …read more