JUNEAU, AK. November 05, 2014 – With all districts reporting, voters have approved a ballot measure that effectively nullifies unconstitutional federal marijuana prohibition. Ballot Measure 2 passed by a 52-48% margin.
As a result of its passage, the measure will allow people age 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and up to six plants. It will also make the manufacture, sale and possession of marijuana paraphernalia legal. These changes will be implemented at the state level; however, these acts will still remain “illegal” under federal law.
But when the states allow activity in defiance of national laws, the federal government has shown that it does not have the manpower or resources to fully enforce its acts. In what is quickly becoming a “game-over” situation for the federal government, Alaska joins Oregon and Washington, D.C., which legalized marijuana on the same day, and Colorado and Washington state, where voters approved legalization in 2012.
As more states pile on in the coming years, it’s almost certain that the federal government will eventually have to back off – completely.
VIEW FROM THE CONSTITUTION
Regardless of whether you think legalized marijuana makes for good business, proper constitutional order demanded a “yes” vote on Measure 2.
The people of Alaska have just taken that constitutional power back.
A state law legalizing marijuana strips the power away from the feds and places it where it belongs – within the state. It sends a message to Washington D.C. that the political class needs to hear: we are not going to let you dictate policy in our state, and we aren’t going to let your one-size-fits-all edict rob the People of Alaska their own choice.
Think about it: constitutionalists who oppose federal regulation of health care through the ACA should want to end federal regulation of a single plant as well.
James Madison, the “father of the Constitution,” foresaw this strategy. In Federalist 46, the ‘Father of the Constitution’ gave us a blueprint to follow when the federal government oversteps its bounds. One of the things he recommended was “refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union.” That’s exactly what Alaska is doing in two areas with the passage of Measure 91.
Defying the federal prohibition on marijuana also sets a precedent that will carry over to other issues. If Alaska can join Oregon, Colorado and Washginton State – bucking the feds on weed, they can also buck them on implementing Obamacare, or on enforcing unconstitutional gun laws, or on cooperating with NSA spying. Approval of Measure 91 should serve as a blueprint for states around the country and issues across the political spectrum.
When enough people say no to the federal government and enough states pass laws backing them up, there’s not much that Washington D.C. can do to force its unconstitutional laws, regulations and mandates down our throats.
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