Alaska Cannabis Board Rejects On-Site Smoking at Retail Stores

Alaska has grappled with the concept of onsite smoking for nearly two years. The Alaska Marijuana Control board narrowly voted 3-2 on Thursday to prevent allowing the consumption of cannabis inside retail stores. Alaska would have been the first state in the nation to allow consumers to immediately smoke the cannabis that they purchase at the store.

Only board members Nicholas Miller of Anchorage and Brandon Emmett of Fairbanks voted to keep on-site smoking alive in Alaska. Designated areas would have been implemented inside cannabis stores. The Alaska Marijuana Industry Association worked towards implementing a way to allow on-site consumption. According to Executive Director Cary Carrigan, the association plans on continuing to lobby for the issue in the future, however, he believes the upcoming summer tourist season could create pandemonium.

Board Member Mark Springer of Bethel was among those who rejected the proposed measure. “We don’t want to draw a whole lot of attention to what is going on in this state with marijuana,” Springer told the board. “We don’t want a million people getting off a cruise ship in Juneau saying, ‘Oh yeah, it’s great. We’re going to go over a half-dozen stores and smoke marijuana,’ because it will draw a big spotlight on us.”  Springer believes Alaska’s cannabis industry should keep a low profile at this time, given the uncertainty of the Trump administration.

Sara Chambers, the acting director of Alaska’s Alchohol and Marijuana Control Office told the board that the public notice for onsite consumption proposal was done improperly. Board member Loren Jones said she voted against the measure following negative criticism coming from the public. Highly publicized Cannabis Cafes around Anchorage came and went.

Alaska is one of eight states and the District of Columbia that legalized recreational cannabis despite the fact that cannabis is illegal at the federal level. Alaska relies on tourism from cruise ships, especially during the summertime. Last year, over 2 million tourists visited Alaska, with over half arriving on cruise ships. Lawmakers in Alaska want to shy away from a tourist industry that’s focused on consuming pot.

The board had the option to weigh in on revisiting the measure for another 30 days but ultimately decided not to advance the bill.