Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jan 2016
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2016 The Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/18
Note: Anchorage Daily News until July '14

PROPOSED FAIRBANKS LAW WOULD MAKE MARIJUANA CLUB ILLEGAL

FAIRBANKS (AP) - Proposed legislation in Fairbanks would make the 
city's first private pot club an illegal facility.

The operators of The Higher Calling, which opened in November, could 
face a misdemeanor charge and a civil fine of $1,000 per day if the 
ordinance is approved, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Members at the club pay $10 per day or $25 per month to consume 
marijuana at the facility, which has been licensed by the state of 
Alaska and the city.

Councilman David Pruhs, who sponsored the ordinance, said stand-alone 
pot clubs violate state law, which prohibits the use of marijuana in 
public. However, Pruhs said he supports state-licensed consumption 
rooms attached to retail marijuana stores, which the state Marijuana 
Control Board decided to allow this year.

"You can't have public use with a business," Pruhs said. "The 
Marijuana Control Board will not be issuing a stand-alone marijuana 
club license. (The Higher Calling) jumped the gun. I think they are 
in violation of the law."

Opponents of the proposal say banning private, membership-only clubs 
infringes on the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.

"I just think that stripping everyone's rights away because of one 
business that they don't like is extreme," said Frank Berardi, 
chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation. "If 
people are going with their own cannabis to smoke, it's a lawful activity."

Brandon Emmett, the Fairbanks-based member of the regulatory board, 
said the board tried to establish a prohibition of pot clubs in state 
regulations but decided against after consulting with the Alaska 
Department of Law. The board eventually pulled any reference to 
cannabis clubs from state regulations, he said.

"It's going to be up to the Legislature and the local governments to 
define what a club is and what they can do," Emmett said.

Marcus Mooers, who owns The Higher Calling with his wife, issued a 
statement pointing to the benefits of allowing a cannabis club to 
operate in Fairbanks.

"We sincerely hope that the City Council will see the economic 
potential and allow for consumption venues downtown," Mooers wrote. 
"Clubs like ours will bring in additional tourism directly to 
downtown and add to the economic diversity of Fairbanks."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom