JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A regulatory board in Alaska on Wednesday will begin accepting applications for marijuana business licenses – the next step in setting up the state’s legal pot industry.
Leif Abel has the date marked on his calendar. He and his partners have been building a facility on the Kenai Peninsula for their company, Greatland Ganja. To apply for a license, prospective business operators need to have secured a site.
That has proven to be a challenge in some parts of the state due to location and zoning restrictions, local community bans or wary property owners.
Abel, who is with the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation, said there’s a lot of risk for would-be business owners.
“I would say that your average business person would look at it and turn around and do something that was much less risky,” said Abel, who also farms and has a building company.