Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jul 2016
Source: Alaska Dispatch News (AK)
Copyright: 2016 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

OWNER OF POPULAR ANCHORAGE BAR AMONG THOSE APPROVED FOR MARIJUANA 
GROWING PERMITS

At the Alaska Marijuana Control Board meeting in Fairbanks this week, 
31 marijuana licenses were up for consideration. Among them, the 
owner of Anchorage's Bernie's Bungalow Lounge downtown, who received 
state approval Friday to begin growing cannabis.

Bernie Souphanavong started selling microgreens in the 1980s, he said 
Friday. A few years ago, he passed the operation on to S.J. Klein. 
But now the space where microgreens grow will house commercial 
marijuana plants.

"It's just like growing tomatoes or anything else," he said of cannabis.

The microgreens will be moved to another facility, he said.

His cannabis business name? 88 Double Happiness LLC. Souphanavong 
chose the number 88 because it's an infinity sign, and because 8 is 
considered a lucky number in some Asian cultures, he said.

Double Happiness, because "why have single happiness when you can 
have double?" Souphanavong said.

[Alaska Marijuana Control Board tweaks marijuana bar rules]

Unlike many other potential marijuana business owners, Souphanavong 
described the venture as low cost.

"It's low cost for me because I already own everything," he said, 
including the property and the agricultural equipment. The building 
will still need to be retrofitted to fulfill some of the state requirements.

He knows though, there's a financial risk because there's no way to 
tell how large the market will really be, he said.

Souphanavong is entering into the business with his son. He has begun 
the process of getting Anchorage municipal approval, he said.

Souphanavong was among the many other licensees who were approved 
Friday. Potential growers from the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Fairbanks 
and Anchorage represented the bulk of the applications.

Kim Kole, who has been an active face in the fledgling industry, also 
saw her business license approved for her grow, Raspberry Roots.

[Campaign opposing commercial marijuana ban in Mat-Su kicks off]

Just like the board's June meeting, none of the applications were 
outright rejected. Most were approved, pending local approval, and a 
few were tabled, as some local governments are in the midst of 
deciding whether or not to ban the industry.

The day before, the board discussed rules surrounding proposed 
marijuana bars, which are still being finalized.

Other details to note from Friday's meeting:

*Growers must now begin their operations with six plants in order to 
pass the state inspection and get registered with the tracking 
system. Those six plants can be any size, as long as they're 
nonflowering. That means they're as "mother" plants, from which 
cuttings are taken to produce a large number of plants.

* The board gave the state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office 
enforcement officers the ability to use policing powers on 
nonlicensees, meaning they can take action against growers or other 
cannabis producers, who are acting outside of state rules. These are 
the same enforcement power officers have for ensuring alcohol laws 
are followed.

*Board member Bruce Schulte introduced language to increase the parts 
per million testing requirement for benzene, based on past testimony 
by cannabis testing labs. That change now goes out for public comment.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom