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Alaska voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use

Marijuana plants. David McNew / Getty Images

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska voters will decide this year whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

The Alaska Division of Elections tells The Associated Press in an email Tuesday that a citizens’ initiative has met all thresholds needed to appear on the Aug. 19 ballot. More than 31,500 signatures have been verified.

Voters in Colorado and Washington last year became the first U.S. states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The language of the Alaska initiative is similar to the Colorado measure.

READ MORE: Legal weed sales bring long lines to Colorado

The Alaska lieutenant governor’s office hasn’t yet certified the question for the ballot, but it’s expected to do so in the coming weeks.

The initiative would make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana and as many as six plants, including three that are flowering.

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It also makes the manufacture, sale and possession of marijuana accessories legal but does not allow public consumption of weed. Anyone smoking in public would face a $100 fine.

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