JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska regulators on Thursday approved rules for onsite consumption of marijuana at specially designated shops, a significant step for the cannabis industry in the state after years of debate.
The 3-2 vote by the Marijuana Control Board does not mean people can light up at shops right away.
Rather, interested businesses would have to apply for a special onsite use endorsement and devise plans that would meet ventilation and other standards for onsite use and pass muster with the board.
“It’s not like people are going to be opening these up in the next week,” said Cary Carrigan, the executive director of the Alaska Marijuana Industry Association. Carrigan nonetheless called the vote significant and a positive step.
The adopted rules also must be reviewed by the state Department of Law before they can be finalized.