sentences:  Shortly after Alaska decriminalized in 1975, a ruling by the Supreme Court of Alaska in the case "Ravin v. State" effectively legalized cannabis in the state.The ruling stemmed from the 1972 arrest of Irwin Ravin, an Alaska resident who allowed himself to be caught possessing cannabis in order to challenge state law.At trial, Ravin's defense argued that the state constitution guaranteed a right to privacy, which extended to the use of cannabis in one's home.