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ALASKA LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE PROPOSAL FOR COMMERCIAL MARIJUANA

JUNEAU, Alaska ( AP ) - Alaska lawmakers have presented a preliminary plan for regulating a new commercial marijuana industry.

The Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a bill Wednesday that details components of a commercial marijuana industry, including taxes, licensing and regulations.

Personal possession, transportation and growth of certain quantities of marijuana became legal for adults 21 and older in Alaska on Tuesday, and the state now has nine months to draft rules for the industry.

The bill details the types of marijuana-related business licenses that would be available, specifies that they can only be granted to Alaska residents and includes ways for communities to control local licensing decisions.  Criminal background checks and fingerprinting would also be required for would-be licensees.

"Our responsibility is to prioritize public safety and align our criminal statutes," said Sen.  John Coghill, R-North Pole, in a news release.

The bill also would limit the potency of edible marijuana products, require child-proof containers and require that advertising and packaging not entice children.

Chad Hutchison, an aide to Coghill, who is vice-chair of the judiciary committee, said that in addition to providing the licensing structure, the committee was focused on keeping marijuana away from youth.

The bill would task a new marijuana board or the existing alcohol board with accepting and vetting license applications.  Communities could also choose to take on those duties, Hutchison said.

Other decisions about the licenses, including whether they have an economic value and how many are available, would be left to the board or communities.

In a memo released Wednesday, the pot-legalization initiative's sponsors wrote that they appreciated parts of the new bill that incorporated their previous input.  But they said they are concerned about several elements, including the wording of legal protections for marijuana establishments and their staffs, increased permit fees and the board's ability to rescind licenses.

Hutchison said the committee anticipates that it will take more than one draft of the bill to get all of the language and details figured out.