Legislature(2019 - 2020)BARNES 124
03/11/2019 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): Marijuana Control Board | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
March 11, 2019
3:16 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Co-Chair
Representative Adam Wool, Co-Chair
Representative Zack Fields
Representative Sara Hannan
Representative Louise Stutes
Representative Josh Revak
Representative Dave Talerico
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Marijuana Control Board
Vivian Stiver - Fairbanks, Alaska
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
VIVIAN STIVER, Nominee
Marijuana Control Board
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as nominee for the Marijuana
Control Board.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:16:11 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX called the House Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:16 p.m. Representatives Fields,
Hannan, Stutes, Revak, Talerico and LeDoux were present at the
call to order. Representatives Wool arrived as the meeting was
in progress.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S): Marijuana Control Board
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S): Marijuana Control Board
3:17:12 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX announced the only order of business would be
the confirmation hearing for the vacant seat on the Marijuana
Control Board.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX stated Ms. Stiver was online for questions.
3:18:09 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL asked Ms. Stiver what she viewed as major issues
facing the marijuana control board.
3:18:34 PM
VIVIAN STIVER, Nominee, Marijuana Control Board expressed her
concern that the industry not become overly regulated. She said
regulations can become too overwhelming and should not restrict
the industry.
CO-CHAIR WOOL asked for the appointee's thoughts on the makeup
of the board and whether she saw all the seats as public or
specific to certain industries.
MS. STIVER indicated she thought all seats were public, but each
represented the public concern in a different way. The board
seats are concerned with a variety of issues such as rural
issues, safety, or health issues; but all seats are public.
3:21:44 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 3:21 p.m. to 3:24 p.m.
3:23:49 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL commented that Ms. Stiver indicated she was not a
patron of the marijuana industry and voted against the
legalization of marijuana. He asked if Ms. Stiver felt like she
was a good public representative of the industry given those
factors.
3:25:25 PM
MS. STIVER responded that the statewide vote had been decided by
6 percent, which is a good margin, but still [only] 6 percent
difference. She shared that she is a voracious learner and had
passed the marijuana handlers test. Ms. Stiver said she never
condemned the industry. The nominee indicated she is a good
representative of the public.
CO-CHAIR WOOL shared that during the last hearing with the
nominee, some people from the drug and alcohol testing industry
spoke in support of the nominee. He said one of the industry
speakers brought up safe levels of [marijuana] consumption and,
in doing so, mentioned a timeframe of 24 hours after consuming
marijuana before driving. Representative Wool discussed the
possible reactions of marijuana and alcohol users if they were
prohibited from driving for that length of time after
consumption of those products. He shared his awareness that
issues regarding public on-site marijuana consumption would come
before the board and asked the nominee if she could comment.
MS. STIVER said that currently, in Alaska, a person is not
allowed to have any marijuana in his/her system while driving.
She went on to say that the woman, [Jo McGuire], Representative
Wool was referring to, was aware of a saliva test that would
indicate if a person had consumed marijuana within the prior 24
hours. Ms. Stiver discussed a case where a person had
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their system and the difficulty in
determining whether that person was impaired at the time of the
incident. She recognized the difficulties regulations will have
determining whether someone is impaired, or simply has consumed
marijuana, with current testing.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX asked Ms. Stiver for any final comments.
MS. STIVER offered a closing statement:
I want to thank you for the opportunity to address
information that was included in the document, Ms.
Stiver versus truth, which was provided to you by the
Alaska Marijuana Industry Association. The statements
in the document were selected from parts of my
testimony and do not reflect my testimony as a whole.
I encourage you to listen to my entire testimony. I
have provided you with the links to my testimony and
the documents that support the statement I chose to
make as part of my testimony. It is important to
remember these statements must be viewed in the
timeframe they were given as related to events and
information. The statement, "Colorado opened it up
like the Old West and we are fixing to do the very
same thing, even more" was made during the time our
borough was looking at allowing onsite consumption.
Colorado did not allow for onsite consumption and no
state, as of this writing, allows for onsite
consumption. In another statement I said, Sativa has
been known to cause violence in people. This was
suspected during the time at which I made this
statement. I have provided the committee a copy of a
more recent article, "Marijuana, Mental Illness, and
Violence" by Alex Berenson.
As time progresses, we always learn more and we fine-
tune our perspectives. I would like to acknowledge
that I misspoke in my previous testimony relating to
pharmacy, licensing, and dispensing of medical
marijuana. I had spoken to one person who worked in
the pharmacy believing they were one of the
pharmacists, I did not follow up on what I was told.
It was in the early [2000s] when pharmacists tried to
develop a process to dispense marijuana, but it did
not gain support.
Finally, in regard to the document Ms. Stiver Versus
Truth, not one statement listed has me in any way
advocating to criminalize marijuana or disrespecting
the vote of the people. What I bring to this board
are a set of skills that will serve the industry and
communities well. I have small business experience, I
do my homework, I'm deliberative, and I can speak and
listen to information from all stakeholder groups.
These skills have developed during my time on
Fairbanks City Council, my time as a legislative aide,
and as a small business owner; but most importantly I
understand things change. We all must listen to new
and relevant information as this young industry moves
forward.
The people of Alaska have legalized marijuana; it is
done no debate. The boards duty is to regulate the
industry following the statutory authority given by
the legislature. Regulation should not stunt the
growth of this industry but should work well with both
industry and the community in which they reside. I
will look to make decisions on what is in the best
interest of the industry, the communities in which
they operate, and as described by statutory authority.
It is very important to understand that communications
are not a one-time event. In order to move forward
all parties must engage in good productive
conversations. Education and process are the key
components that will bring success to the cannabis
industry and confidence among our communities. This
only happens with ongoing communication. I appreciate
your time and consideration of my appointment to the
Marijuana Control Board. Thank you.
3:36:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES commented Ms. Stiver has not been a
supporter of the marijuana industry, rather she's been somewhat
adversarial to it. She questioned whether the nominee would be
able to remain impartial in her duties.
3:38:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS stated he appreciated Ms. Stiver's time.
He went on to discuss the positive economic impact the marijuana
industry has had in his district. He discussed Ms. Stiver's
prohibitionist record regarding the industry and whether another
public health professional might be a better fit for the board
seat.
3:40:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN shared her concerns regarding Ms. Stiver's
nomination to the board. She went on to describe marijuana
industry regulations that are onerous and her concerns regarding
overregulating the industry.
3:43:20 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL described his history with the nominee and the
alcohol board. He mentioned his preference for the alcohol
board format over that of the Marijuana Control Board because of
the two industry-seat model. He offered that due to the amount
of concern the industry shared regarding Ms. Stiver's nomination
it would be a tough confirmation for some to approve.
3:45:48 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX addressed the committee and explained the Alaska
State Legislature does not hold nominees in committee regardless
of the committee members opinions.
3:46:34 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL reminded members that signing the reports
regarding appointments to boards and commissions in no way
reflects individual members' approval or disapproval of the
appointees, and that the nominations are merely forwarded to the
full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
3:47:50 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Labor and Commerce Committee meeting was adjourned at 3:48 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 2019.Committees.HL&C.Backup Updated Opposition Letters Vivian Stiver Confirmation.pdf |
HL&C 3/11/2019 3:15:00 PM |
|
| 2019.Committees.HL&C.Backup Updated Support Letters for Vivian Stiver Confirmation.pdf |
HL&C 3/11/2019 3:15:00 PM |