Fairbanks Voters to Decide if Cannabis Sales Will Continue

Residents of Fairbanks, Alaska will be asked once again to vote on the status of cannabis for the area on October 3. Alaskan voters legalized back in 2014, and since then, Fairbanks has been one of the major hotspots for obtaining cannabis. However, those in opposition of cannabis have recently launched campaigns meant to hurt and set back legalization.

“We’re doing what every political group does,” Jim Ostlind of the Safe Neighborhoods Fairbanks Political Action Committee, one of the men collecting petition signatures, told the News Miner. “We’re getting money for advertising and looking for volunteers to pass out literature. Basically, we’re looking around at what’s happening. We changed our name (formerly Drug Free Fairbanks) because it’s more appropriate for our campaign. It has to do with marijuana businesses being put in residential neighborhoods.”

These people are concerned about zoning and having cannabis stores in residential areas. However, spokespeople from the industry beg to differ, and insist that they have no intention of harming to the community. “We’re not just a bunch of stoners. Get to know us,” explained Greg Allison with the Keep Cannabis Legal Fairbanks Political Action Committee. “We’re good leaders who care about the community. It’s not a facade.”

Allison points out that cannabis industry leaders have helped contribute to a food bank in the area, and are actively involved in charity work and trying to make Fairbanks a better place. While the community is somewhat divided, the cannabis community in Fairbanks has done its part to benefit the local community. With any luck, their actions will help them win the vote and keep cannabis businesses in their area.