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ALASKA HAS BECOME the third US state to legalise the recreational use of marijuana.
Campaigners don’t expect any public celebrations though since it remains illegal to smoke marijuana in public.
In the state’s largest city, Anchorage police officers are ready to start handing out $100 fines to make sure taking a toke remains something to be done behind closed doors.
A coalition including libertarians, rugged individualists and small-government Republicans all wanted Alaska in the same category as Washington state and Colorado with legal marijuana. This is not yet the reality.
In November, Alaskans voted 53%-47 % to legalize marijuana use by adults in private places. But the deinfttion of ‘private places’ is being left up to lawmakers to decide
How did this happen?
After November’s vote, possession and transportation of up to an ounce of marijuana, and growing up to six plants is legal as of today.
The state has nine more months to create regulations for a commercial marijuana industry whose pot will be sold and taxed.
But wasn’t it already legal in Alaska?
Yes and no. A 1975 Alaska Supreme Court decision protected residents with small amounts of pot in their homes from prosecution. But state lawmakers twice criminalised any possession at all.
Where can Alaskans buy it?
They can’t, legally, and won’t be able to, for months to come. Retail sales likely won’t begin until May 2016, some lawmakers are pushing for further delays.
But can they get it?
With some green fingers yes, or through a good friend. The law allows people to keep all the marijuana produced by as many as six plants, and to give it away without state penalty.
Who makes the rules?
The Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is responsible for regulations for now, but with pot already legal to grow, have and use, some lawmakers seemed a bit dazed and confused about next steps.
Local control
Despite Alaska’s constitutionally protected privacy rights, many communities ban alcohol even inside private homes. Some worry the initiative will bring marijuana in where alcohol has been kept out.
Where can they smoke it?
Not in “public,” but what that does that mean? Some state laws define it as schools, parks, prisons, businesses, and in general, anywhere accessible to “the public or a substantial group of persons.” But jurisdictions are already disagreeing on the definition when it comes to marijuana.
Can Alaskans bring it in from other states?
Marijuana is already legal in Washington state and Colorado and will be July 1 in Oregon. Supporters are taking aim now at California, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts. But getting drugs to Alaska almost always requires federally-regulated transportation or shipment, so that means growing it at home for now.
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I tried to breastfeed but it didn’t work out. In the end I just gave up and left my wife do it.
They changed the ingredients and thus the method for making a bottle without properly warning or telling anyone, also the new boxes are gone to 700g from 800g and yet the price is staying the same
@Ian McNally: cheaper ingredients I presume. Always the bottom line with large companies, if the current quarter is not better than the previous 4 then it’s bad. This infinity growth stuff is ridiculous
@Ian McNally: noticed the same thing smart feckers
Just don’t use it then. Problem gone.
@Paul A Whelan: not as easy as just don’t use it! My baby has just turned one I had planned to move her straight to cows milk when she turned one as per the public health nurses recommendation. Unfortunately she won’t touch it unless it’s mixed with the formula she’s used to. Luckily I picked up the last two of the old boxes in my local pharmacy which should see us through the weaning phase but it’s not as simple as just don’t use it for a lot of parents!
@Paul A Whelan: The boob is unbeatable.You can’t better nature.
@Billy McNamara: Breastfeeding doesn’t work for all women. Plus the formula mentioned here is aimed at 1-2 year olds, very few women manage to breastfeed for that long.
Some experts recommend breastfeeding a child until its four years old.
‘Not only does breastfeeding provide nutrition and immunity benefits for as long as it is done, but it provides emotional connection, too’
https://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/ourmuddyboots/what-breastfeeding-a-4-year-old-really-looks-like
@leartius: Every parent is doing the v best for their kids be it formula or bf!!
@leartius: It does come in lovely containers….
@Neville Patterson: cheeky pup!!!
@leartius: Bitty!
@Annette: I know not all mothers can breastfeed but breast milk is best for the baby so if a mother chooses not to even try breastfeeding, how can you say she’s doing the very best for her baby?
@Thunder Snowman: because they’re her breasts. We don’t force women to breast feed.
@Thunder Snowman: how about you mind your own business about what a mother chooses to do. It has no bearing on you or your life. Your opinion is irrelevant.
@Thunder Snowman: I can without hesitation. Every mother has the right to decide how to feed their baby. BF is good as is formula.
@Annette: Breast milk is miles better than formula, that’s a fact. Why do you think the HSE are advocating it so much.
@Thunder Snowman: Have you looked at the statistics on bf in Ireland? It’s one of the lowest in Europe, it’s all v well to advocate for it but it’s not for everyone. If there was more support in hospitals for mums who are trying, I’m sure there would be higher numbers, nurses are overworked and haven’t the time to help each mom. It hurts and it’s difficult!! Only for a family member I would have stopped, got 30 mins help in total in hospital when I had mine!!!
@Thunder Snowman: no argument re breast milk being better but for countless reasons it’s not always possible for mothers to breastfeed
@Thunder Snowman: it’s ok, this issue with formula doesn’t effect breastfeeding mothers.
@leartius: maybe in a few years the attitude to breastfeeding will change in Ireland. It’s shocking, I’m not trying to knock what is a personal choice to many. Educating children from an early age and proper backing from hse to show how vital and natural breastfeeding is. It can be so beneficial if baby has allergies especially if they can’t take formula. Support is vital.
Follow on milk is not necessary, it is just a marketing ploy by the big companies because they can’t advertise baby formula. Giving a variety of solid foods of full fat, iron rich & vitamin C. It’s not easy and a lot of patience but no substitute.
@Claire Duffy: i totally agree with you, i had my first baby in london and wasnt given those ready made small bottles of formula that are falling out of maternity hospitals in ireland and i was encouraged to breastfeed which i did no problem. I had my secind baby in dublin amd was instantly handed thise bottles which i refused. I cannot for the life of me understand why women in ireland arent encouraged more to breastfeed. The price of formula for one and all the hassle of sterilising and boiling and cooling water is more stress . And dont get me started on that follow on rubbish again so expensive and totally unnecessary .
@leartius: there’s not really a whole lot of scientific evidence for feeding to 4 years. I believe the recommended age is 2. I breastfed but it was painful and difficult in the first few weeks…..luckily I like on NZ where the support is amazing and I went on to bf for 9 months. The reason I stopped is cause I had to go back yo work…..tbh I was shocked at the lack of facilities and the attitudes towards breastfeeding when I came back on a holiday when my daughter was 6 months. Also totally agree the follow on milk is not necessary nutritionally and is a bit of a marketing ploy but some people rely on it to wean their babies onto cows milk
Our twin girls our 8 weeks old and both were on the first infant milk – they were premature and they had to be bottle fed to monitor their Intake so to say to just change is a stupid comment or to just breast feed – again, not that simple. Anyway, they both began to be very sick at the same time and it wasn’t till my wife found the aptamil issue thing online that we realized it wasn’t just a rebranding of Aptamil but a new formula.. we changed to cow and gate (we know they are danone owned) and they are absolutely fine now.. bottom line is they most likely found a cheaper way to make it and thought no one would notice.. terrible for any parent to go through..
Absolutely disgraceful that they changed the quantity for and kept the price the same. I’m finally out of the bottle phase but for some poor families paying 14.00 Euro formula is not fair. I don’t want to hear about the breastfeeding debate I breastfed both mine for 5 months. I don’t understand why Danone felt they needed to be change it? It makes no sense that they were making profit, it sold well so why change it other than to make more money. I will no longer recommend it to friends after this. I think the greed became too much and they just wanted more and more profit.
@Nurse on call: You may be surprised when you find out that this is happening with everything you can think of. It is a marketing ploy to mask price increase. It has a lovely name – shrinkflation.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/shrinking-products-price-stays-same-more-than-2500-shrinkflation-brexit-ons-toblerone-maltesers-a7857126.html
Terrible of Danone, why didn’t they they tell customers they had changed the ingredients. Nothing worse than a sick baba..
I have a three month old who is on the stage one formula which changed. Thankfully with the new formula she hasn’t been sick but at same time as the change she has been hungrier than before which I feel must be to do with their change of ingredients. And yes to go from 900g to 800g at same price is just ridiculous. So she is hungrier and there is less formula in the box! Anyone else experience this I wonder?
@Olivia: Yes!! My 8 week old is hungrier and is looking for a feed more often than normal. I increased her intake by an ounce but it didn’t make a difference, she’s still looking for the next one sooner than before :-/
@Aisling Addie: Ask PHN about the wonder weeks. It could just be the suck reflex, rather than being hungry. But, I know you couldn’t deny a hungry baby!
I agree. Have recommended people not use it now after the change. Terrible to change the packaging hoping people wouldn’t notice the significant difference in size. We changed last week as the new Aptamil was grainy as would not mix properly.
Brest milk is best for the mother and baby. It’s also good for the father as he can play with the ‘empties’!
There are no safety issues with strong cheese but you still wouldn’t be giving it to a toddler.
This article can be condensed down to: The parents of the hundreds of children who were sick are all mistaken and wrong because the management of Danone and Aptamil say so.
Because if there was any, that would cause them a fortune. ..
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