Pubdate: Tue, 23 Dec 2014
Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (AK)
Copyright: 2014 Fairbanks Publishing Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsminer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/764
Author: Matt Buxton

BOROUGH MAYOR HOPKINS TO CREATE MARIJUANA WORKING GROUP

FAIRBANKS - Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Luke Hopkins plans to 
launch a working group to help form local regulations for commercial marijuana.

Following a community town hall meeting earlier this month that 
included representatives from the three local governments, Hopkins 
said he plans to bring forward borough regulations by as early as February.

"I certainly don't want to sit in my office and say it ought to be 
this," he said, "This is a community effort."

Specifically, the purpose of the group is to "develop zoning 
standards, production and sales requirements, and determine what 
other use issues need to be considered for adoption by the assembly 
and, to the extent needed, city councils."

The passage of Ballot Measure 2 in the November elections allows for 
possession, use and non-sale transfer of marijuana starting Feb. 24.

The road to commercial sales will be longer, and marijuana sales 
aren't likely to begin until at least May 2016 as Ballot Measure 2 
gives many months for the state to form and implement its own 
regulations on growing, testing and sales.

Local communities have the option to create a blanket ban on 
marijuana sales, but with Ballot Measure 2 passing by a wide margin 
in the borough, such a ban likely would be politically unpopular, 
Hopkins and others have said.

Although marijuana sales are more than a year away, Hopkins said 
there are some issues that should be addressed sooner than later, 
particularly if people are planning on getting into the business.

He said some real estate groups are already getting inquiries from 
Outside about available retail spaces.

The local regulations that could be introduced in February likely 
will focus around zoning and setting guidelines for operating hours 
and appropriate zones for marijuana-related businesses to operate, 
Hopkins said.

"We have to deal with the business side of things," he said. "Where 
they (marijuana businesses) will be, and very specifically where the 
businesses shall not be."

He said that could amount to buffer zones for certain areas like 
schools, hospitals, daycare centers and halfway houses. The effort is 
being spearheaded through the Department of Community Planning, which 
handles zoning and land development.

One issue that will be important for the borough and the local city 
governments to consider, he said, will be the matter of private clubs.

While use of marijuana is prohibited in public places, Hopkins said 
it's unclear just how those rules would apply to businesses and 
clubs. If marijuana clubs - places where people could bring marijuana 
to smoke - become popular when possession and use become legal, 
Hopkins said he'd rather have the borough's zoning laws in place.

Last week the Anchorage Assembly announced it had formed a committee 
focused on marijuana sales. Its membership is four members, including 
two who supported a failed effort to do a blanket ban on sales.

Hopkins said he plans for the working group to be inclusive and 
include people representing groups like three local governments, 
police, educators from K-12 and higher education, substance abuse 
treatment advocates and advocates for legalized marijuana.

The first meetings are expected to take place in early January.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom