It’s official: Weed is legal in Alaska

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Private use of small amounts of marijuana is now legal in Alaska, which on Tuesday became the third state to legalize the drug.

Voters passed a measure in November approving pot use for those 21 and older. Alaskans can possess up to 1 ounce or own six marijuana plants.

{mosads}But it’s still illegal to smoke pot in public, and those who do can face a $100 fine.

The state has not yet decided on regulations for selling the drug. Those regulations must be agreed on before Thanksgiving, according to Reuters

Colorado and Washington both legalized the drug in 2012 but have since faced challenges.

Since states eventually earn tax revenue on the sale of pot, proponents have pushed legalization as an easy way to boost state coffers. In its first year of legal weed, Colorado raised $50 million in taxes on the drug, according to The Associated Press. 

Washington, D.C., also passed a measure to legalize marijuana in 2014, but congressional Republicans blocked the city from spending any money on that law’s implementation with a rider in a funding bill passed last year.

Tags Alaska Colorado Marijuana Washington

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