In spite of the session extension in Juneau, the status of new legislation dealing with commercial marijuana for the year ahead is clear.
Only one bill passed in both the House and Senate. The governor’s bill to establish a marijuana control board similar to the body that regulates state-wide alcohol permits is slated to become law. Regulators and marijuana policy advocates listed the legislation as their top priority for the session, since it funds staff positions within the Alcoholic Beverages Control Board to begin writing rules before the first commercial licenses are issued in 2016. The total cost to fund the board is $1,574,400.
Other important pieces of Legislation, including a broad change in the legal statutes governing marijuana as well as a bill that would have given municipalities more control overseeing new marijuana businesses, either stalled in committee or were voted down.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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