Senate Bill 30, a bill to update the state laws concerning the decriminalization of marijuana in the state of Alaska passed the Senate on a vote of 17-3 on Monday, and will now head to the House for further consideration.

The bill passed the Senate after a total of 15 hearings in the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees.

“Senate Bill 30 protects all Alaskans-those who legally use marijuana as well as those who have concerns about public safety,” said Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, R-North Pole.  “This bill upholds the will of the voters while addressing such issues as: How do we handle someone who tries to give it to someone under 21?  What should happen to someone who drives under the influence of marijuana? In a nutshell, SB30 decriminalizes marijuana for people who use it the way the voters intended and describes what is going to happen if you misuse it.”

“First and foremost, we focused on making sure the intent of the voters was met while keeping our communities safe.  I think this is a good bill in that regard,” said Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage.  “However, I want to clarify for the people of Alaska, the Legislature will continue to work on this issue.  Just as we have with alcohol every year, we will continue to work on strengthening laws that protect our citizens and communities.”

“This is a process that requires careful consideration.  In the following months, the ABC Board will write hundreds of regulations to further fill in gaps left by the initiative,” said Senator Coghill. “Senate Bill 30 is not a perfect bill.  It’s a work in progress that implements the initiative.”

Missing from the Senate Bill wan amendment introduced by Senator Pete Kelly, the Republican Senator from Fairbanks. His proposed amendment would have mad illegal marijuana concentrates. Kely said that he didn’t believe that the voters did not vote for concentrates when they voted for legalization of recreational marijuana, but were only voting for marijuana leaf. He pointed to perceived and potentially fatal encounters with concentrates and edibles by children in his attempt to garner support for his amendment. But, his amendment failed to pass on a vote of 14-6 against passage. The six Senators who voted for Kelly’s ban included Charlie Huggins of Wasilla, Lyman Hoffman of Bethel, Donny Olson of Golovin, Cathy Giessel of Anchorage, John Coghill of North Pole and Kelly himself.

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