Senate passes bill changing marijuana crime laws

  • By Molly Dischner
  • Monday, March 30, 2015 10:30pm
  • News

JUNEAU — The Alaska Senate on Monday got closer to having state statutes reflect what remains illegal after Alaska voters legalized limited recreational marijuana last year.

Senators voted 17-3 to pass the bill, which outlines crimes for possessing more than 1 ounce of marijuana, the threshold voters approved last November for personal use by adults.

It changes the crimes for possession of larger amounts of marijuana, including making it a felony to possess more than 16 ounces of marijuana, and also makes it illegal to deliver marijuana for sale.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The bill also keeps marijuana on the state’s list of controlled substances and prohibits a commercial or retail marijuana industry in areas where there is no organized borough or municipality.

Sen. Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, said the version of the bill produced by the Senate Finance Committee balanced legalization with enforcement concerns from state officials.

Bruce Schulte, a marijuana legalization advocate, wrote in a text message to The Associated Press that he would have preferred to see marijuana removed from the state’s controlled substances list.

Sens. Johnny Ellis, Berta Gardner and Bill Wielechowski, all Anchorage Democrats, voted against the bill.

Wielechowski said he thought marijuana should have been removed from the state’s list of controlled substances, and tried to amend the bill to make that change. That amendment failed.

Other amendments to the bill were also defeated during lengthy floor debate Monday, including one from Fairbanks Republican Sen. Pete Kelly that would have made marijuana concentrates illegal in two years.

That failed, with two Democrats joining four Republican majority members in support. One of the Democrats is part of the majority caucus.

Those opposing the amendment said it didn’t appear to match the will of the voters. The initiative that passed in November included concentrates in the definition of marijuana, and those opposing the amendment said they thought banning them would not meet the intent of the initiative.

The bill now goes to the House.

More in News

Erin Thompson (courtesy)
Erin Thompson to serve as regional editor for Alaska community publications

Erin Thompson is expanding her leadership as she takes on editorial oversight… Continue reading

A woman stands with her sign held up during a rally in support of Medicaid and South Peninsula Hospital on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Homer residents rally in support of South Peninsula Hospital and Medicaid

The community gathered on Wednesday in opposition to health care cuts that threaten rural hospitals.

Hunter Kirby holds up the hatchery king salmon he bagged during the one-day youth fishery on the Ninilchik River on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 in Ninilchik, Alaska. Photo by Mike Booz
Ninilchik River closed to sport fishing

The closure is in effect from June 23 through July 15.

Señor Panchos in Soldotna, Alaska, is closed on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna restaurant owner remains in ICE custody; federal charges dropped

Francisco Rodriguez-Rincon was accused of being in the country illegally and falsely claiming citizenship on a driver’s license application.

Brent Johnson speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough to provide maximum funding for school district

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will receive less money from the state this year than it did last year.

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School on Tuesday.
Pools, theaters, libraries in jeopardy as cuts loom

The district issued “notices of non-retention” to all its pool managers, library aides and theater technicians.

A sockeye salmon is pictured in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Fishing slow on Russian River, improving on Kenai

Northern Kenai fishing report for Tuesday, June 17.

Josiah Kelly, right, appears for a superior court arraignment at the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Anchor Point man accepts plea deal for November shootings

Buildings operated by a local health clinic and an addiction recovery nonprofit were targeted.

Most Read