Pubdate: Thu, 26 Feb 2015
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2015 Alaska Dispatch Publishing
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14
Author: Laurel Andrews

MARIJUANA COMMERCIALIZATION BILL INTRODUCED IN ALASKA LEGISLATURE

A bill to regulate commercial marijuana, including proposed business 
license types, was introduced in the Alaska Legislature on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 62 was forwarded to the State Affairs committee after 
being introduced on the Senate floor.

Alaska's law legalizing recreational marijuana use went into effect 
Tuesday. While the law outlines conduct surrounding personal use, 
what commercialization will look like is left up to the state to 
figure out. The state has nine months to craft regulations for businesses.

Some details proposed in the measure:

Businesses would need to be at least 200 feet from a church, school 
grounds or correctional facility.

Retailers could sell only up to 1 ounce of pot to a single person in one day.

Retailers would have to be closed between midnight and 8 a.m.

Advertising couldn't be "in a manner enticing to minors."

Packaging would be childproof.

An individual dose of THC in edibles would be 10 milligrams or less.

Integrated licenses, allowing one person to be a grower, processor 
and retailer at once, are proposed.

The bill proposes six license types. That's more than exist in 
Colorado or Washington, which have three and four types of commercial 
licenses, respectively.

In Alaska, the proposed licenses would be:

Marijuana producers: Grow pot and sell it to a processor or retailer.

Processors: "Refine, process, cook, manufacture, develop, label and 
package marijuana and marijuana products," according to the bill.

Retailers: Buy from producers and processors, and sell to the public.

Testing facilities: Test, analyze and certify marijuana

Boutique producers: A producer licensed to grow up to 50 marijuana 
plants and sell it to a broker.

Home growers: Those who sell any amount of marijuana from their 
plants to a broker.

Brokers: Buy from producers, boutique producers and home growers. 
They would sell to retailers and processors.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska wrote 
Wednesday it was supportive of incorporating the various types of 
licenses. In a memo to Sen. Lesil McGuire, the campaign outlined 
several concerns, including the language surrounding advertising to minors.

"We enthusiastically support reasonable restrictions on advertising 
and efforts to prevent advertising from targeting minors, but we are 
concerned this may be vague and overbroad."

The campaign also expressed concern regarding an increase in 
application fees beyond a $5,000 cap, as outlined in the initiative, 
and the circumstances surrounding when the board would revoke or 
suspend registration, among other concerns.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom