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9/12/14 KNBA News - Congressional bill would donate land for a deep-water port in the Alaska Arctic

Will Congress take the first step to building a deep-water port in the Alaska Arctic?

A U.S. House Subcommittee Wednesday considered a bill that would divide a 2,000 acre spit, Point Spencer on the Bering Strait, among the Coast Guard, the state, and Bering Strait Native Corporation, with the aim of creating a deep-water port. U.S. Congressman Don Young, of Alaska, says the project is badly needed for Alaska and for the nation.

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Drug abuse-related arrests in Alaska are on the decline

APRN's Josh Edge reports the University of Alaska Justice Center has published a report showing the number of drug abuse-related arrests in Alaska declined by 15% between 2000 and 2012. Juvenile arrests dropped by 25%. The number of juveniles arrested for marijuana use was up, while arrests for heroin use among underage users declined. The trend for arrests for adult use of marijuana also declined.

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Once the kids are hooked, they'll do anything...

The Alaska Association of Police Chiefs oppose Proposition 2, which would legalize marijuana use for adults age 21 and up. They point to the high cost of training officers to enforce new marijuana laws as one problem, and the difficulty of identifying drivers impaired by marijuana use as another. But Sand Point police officer Mike Livingston brings up an issue that hasn't received a lot of play. He says easier access to the drug will increase addiction rates among juveniles, and that, he says, will lead to increased victimization of juveniles.

Adults knowing kids are addicted to nicotine, THC or alcohol... [use] that as a leverage to abuse kids.

"Adults knowing kids are addicted to substances ... [use] that as a leverage to abuse kids," says Livingston . "Once the kids are hooked, like adults they'll do anything to get more tobacco, or marijuana, or alcohol." Livingston spoke on a panel at a substance abuse conference in Anchorage being hosted by the Aleutian-Pribilof Islands Association. Supporters of Prop 2 say marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol, and should be allowed, regulated, and taxed.

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