Alaska Is Third US State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana Usage, Public Education Campaign Launched [PHOTO]

Alaska has just made history by becoming the third U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana. According to the Huffington Post, this Tuesday the state put Ballot Measure 2 into effect, which was approved by 52.3 percent of state voters in November.

To be clear, Ballot Measure 2 was a vote on whether marijuana should be decriminalized. The numbers were close, as 47.7 percent of voters voted against it. However, now that the vote has been finalized, Alaskans ages 21 and older are now able to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow as many as six marijuana plants in their homes.

Mason Tvert, communications director for drug policy reform group Marijuana Policy Project, stated, "State laws allowing adults to use marijuana are becoming less and less of a novelty. It won't be long before it's the rule instead of the exception nationwide. Colorado and Washington are proving that regulating marijuana works, and soon Alaska will, too."

Recent studies reporting that marijuana is much safer than tobacco or alcohol are also helping to sway voters' views.  According to The Verge, marijuana is roughly 114 times less deadly than alcohol. In a study done by the journal Scientific Reports, alcohol was found to be the deadliest drug at an individual level, followed by heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, methamphetamines, and marijuana. 

Out of all the drugs studied for the report, marijuana was classified as the only "low mortality" drug while all others were labeled as "medium" and "high." In fact, the researchers believed marijuana to be so low-risk that they suggested its broad and regulated legalization.

Though marijuana use is now legal in Alaska, there are still concerns regarding the safety of its consumption. The Marijuana Policy Project - a backer of the Alaska ballot measure - is addressing these concerns by launching a public education campaign reminding marijuana users to "consume responsibly." Its ads read: "With great marijuana laws comes great responsibility."

What are your thoughts on the legalization of marijuana in Alaska?

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