Anchorage Assembly Decides Against Opting Out of Commercial Marijuana
Alaska’s legalization and regulation effort survived intact on Tuesday night when the Anchorage Assembly voted not to opt the unified City and Borough of Anchorage out of the recently passed laws allowing commercial growing and distribution. Under the new AS 17.38.110(a), local governments and voters have the right to “prohibit the operation of marijuana cultivation facilities, marijuana production manufacturing facilities, marijuana testing facilities, or retail marijuana stores through enactment of an ordinance[.]” Eagle River Assembly Member Amy Demboski proposed such an ordinance to opt Anchorage out of the cannabis laws shortly after Alaskan voters legalized regulated cannabis distribution in November. The Assembly voted 9-2 to reject the ordinance on Tuesday night.
This vote was very important for the legalization and regulation effort in Alaska because Anchorage is home to 41 percent of Alaska’s population. For that reason, it often leads the way for what will occur around the state. While the future is always uncertain, the resounding defeat of the measure to opt Anchorage out of the State’s new cannabis laws ensures a state-wide discussion on how to best put forward policies and regulations that serve the best interests of the residents of the State of Alaska.
For more information on the vote, please see:
http://www.adn.com/article/20141216/assembly-kills-proposal-ban-marijuana-sales-anchorage
For more information on the statutes that were passed into law in the November vote, please see:
Posted in Alaska