Ask an Alaskan

[doubLe a tom]

How many people do you know that have committed suicide? I hear the rate up there is off the charts.

How many times have you attempted suicide, and why did you fail? Was it just a cry for help?

[sethypooh21]

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Is that true that personal use of marijuana for personal use inside your own house is decriminalised?

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That's an interesting and involved question. I actually wrote a long, long paper on the topic in law school, so I'll give you my quick and dirty answer.

Alaska has an explicit privacy guarantee in the state constitution. This is different from the US Const, where the right to privacy is inferred from various things (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 14th amendments among other places) so Alaska recognizes a much wider range of things as 'private' and thus not subject to government interference. This has been held to protect a wide range of things from across the political spectrum, from religion to abortion.

Anyway, specific to marijuana, there is a late 1970s case (Ravin v. State) where the AK Supreme Court found that the police can't prosecute you (or base a search warrant on) under 6 ounces of pot in you home. In contrast, a subsequent case (Erickson v. State) found that there was no such protection for cocaine, which suggests that marijuana is at least somewhat protected. HOWEVER, the language of these decisions indicates that the pot isn't really 'legal,' they just can't constitutionally prosecute you for 'small' amounts in your home, so it's more your house than the pot that's protected.

We also have medicinal marijuana up here, but that's a whole other [censored] up topic (apparently, they give you cannabis pills, which suck and don't really get you high, so that kinda defeats the purpose of that.)

[sethypooh21]

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How many people do you know that have committed suicide? I hear the rate up there is off the charts.

How many times have you attempted suicide, and why did you fail? Was it just a cry for help?

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I know about 2 I think, from high school. The rate is pretty high, but the rates of alcoholism and drug abuse are far worse.

Me? Never. I like my life. (Alaska is a pretty good place to practice law, actually, and both parents still live up here, so that's nice)

[sethypooh21]

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how do you feel about a new gold mining operation opening up in the artic circle after a 10 years absence?

they only found 7.8 million troy ounces, but its already opened the door for 3 more mines by 09/10, oh and is your pet moose named simba, and do you ride him to school everyday?

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God, don't get me started on that. There's an expression I like which is something like "good ideas don't need a lot of lies told to sell." And there are a LOT of lie being told. The amount found, which you mentioned. And they've been running an add on television about how dumping tailings into a river isn't that bad because "it's just water with little pieces of dirt in it." Please.

It will probably happen though, because this state is pretty much owned by natural resource extracters, be they oil companies, fisheries or miners.

[The4Aces]

I think i heard that alasken residents get a check every year from your govenment? is that true? how much?

[sethypooh21]

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I think i heard that alasken residents get a check every year from your govenment? is that true? how much?

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Yes, but it varies from year to year. usually between 1000-1500

[Humble Pie]

Do you own a Malamute? I want one, can you hook me up?

[deucedeuces]

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How many people do you know that have committed suicide? I hear the rate up there is off the charts.

How many times have you attempted suicide, and why did you fail? Was it just a cry for help?

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i know 2 people that committed suicide and another who tried and failed miserably. i have never tried myself.
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Do you own a Malamute? I want one, can you hook me up?



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i used to have one but she got hit by a car. my uncle still has one of her puppies that is a mckenzie river husky/ malamute mix

[w_alloy]

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AK REPRESENT!

I have a question for you anchorage residents (especially Seth). Anyone know of a good basketball league, any time of the year? Also, anyone know of a place to find good consistent pick up games? My friends have largely stopped playing or have moved and I 'm jonesin'. Ideally I'm looking for something pretty competitive but not quite top tier (or maybe, I'm not sure what that entails in Alaska), but I'll be happy to play with anyone.

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Is this Weldon?


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Yup, howdy [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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You a member of the AK club? I play there (Northern Lights and Minnesota location) at lunch a couple times a week. During the summer I play more ulti than hoops anyway so don't really know about the summer league scene (the only ones I have experience with have a high, high thug-to-skill ratio.

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I'm not a member of the AK club, but probably if I move to Anchorage after my lease is up at the end of month (still undecided) I will join up, especially if there is consistent basketball at certain times.

Do you play ASA Basketball? I proposed starting a team for the Church I grew up in and there was some interest but all our players are poor and have apprehensions about shouldering the ~800+100 per player fee. I really don't know anything about ASA basketball leagues though, just what I have read on their website, and they are the only league not through UAA I can find through google in limited searches. Any info you could share about it and the skill level of the diferent leagues we could join (that start in October) would be appreciated, if you have any experience with them.