Law Enforcement Prepared (mostly) – Just No Public Toking

Marijuana becomes legal on Tuesday this week, but where it will be allowed to be used remains a bit hazy. Public consumption of pot remains prohibited, but local leaders continue to debate the definition of public place.

And uncertainty about pending state legislation on marijuana has left the Alaska State Troopers no clear direction about how to enforce it. In the Interior, most of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and beyond falls under trooper jurisdiction.

Troopers spokesman Tim Despain said the agency has a plan for how marijuana enforcement will work starting Tuesday. But with different marijuana bills still before the Alaska Legislature and an emergency meeting of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board set to begin at 7 a.m. Tuesday in Anchorage, there are too many unknowns to go into specifics about trooper enforcement of the new law, he said.

“All of these things, which have yet to occur, do not allow us to provide a specific answer as to what law enforcement’s response will be on Feb. 24,” Despain said.

The ABC Board is providing information about the new law, including a question and answer section, on its website at http://commerce.state.ak.us. “Although I cannot speak specifically as to directions being given Alaska State Troopers, I can speak generally as to law enforcement,” ABC Board Executive Director Cynthia Franklin said in an email response to questions.

Franklin said “anyone buying, selling or possessing more than one ounce of marijuana outside of their home on or after Feb. 24 will be subject to current legal penalties.”

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