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Pot use recriminalized in Alaska
The Associated Press | ADN.com | June 3, 2006

JUNEAU -- Possessing small amounts of marijuana, even in the privacy of the home, is illegal in Alaska -- at least for now.

Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday signed a bill recriminalizing pot possession. The law will be challenged in court, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, leading to a likely judicial review of Alaska's marijuana laws.

Another provision of the bill, which is not in dispute, would make it tougher to buy ingredients used in making methamphetamine.

In a press release, Murkowski said the state's current marijuana laws send the wrong message to Alaska's youths.

The governor is seeking to overturn the 30-year-old landmark Alaska Supreme Court decision that legalized the use of small amounts of marijuana.

While the court then ruled that the right to privacy was far more important than any harm that could result from use of the drug, Murkowski argues marijuana is a more dangerous drug than it was in the 1970s.

The ACLU of Alaska said it would file for immediate injunctive relief in Superior Court in Juneau on Monday.

Executive director Michael Macleod-Ball said the lawsuit also would seek a permanent injunction against the marijuana provisions of the law which he said run afoul of Alaskans' constitutional rights to privacy.

Under the new law, pot possession of 4 ounces or more is a felony.

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