The law allowed some low-risk offenders to avoid jail time. Critics of the law have linked it to a rise in some crimes in parts of the state.
Alcohol & Substance Abuse
Funding for opioid overdose kits offers ‘hope’ for Alaska’s drug epidemic
The state government is gearing up for a major battle against the opioid epidemic sweeping through the state. Alaska recently received a $4.2 million grant for a five-year “Project Hope” program from the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Egegik man sentenced in Southeast meth case
Jason Corey Vincent Alto, 21, of Egegik was sentenced to 20 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine.
Vote postponed over Juneau’s controversial ‘camping ordinance’
The Juneau Assembly heard more than 90 minutes of testimony from dozens of residents including merchants, social workers and homeless people themselves who all agreed on one thing: Juneau has a serious homeless problem. But speakers had radically different viewpoints.
Could ticketing the homeless help downtown Juneau?
The Juneau Police Department says that under the proposed ordinance anyone caught camping downtown who refuses to move could be arrested for disorderly conduct – a jailable offense.
Officials catch heroin in both Anchorage and Nome
Heroin has been at the center of two anti-drug enforcement efforts in different Alaska towns.