Alaska Approves 2 Cannabis Shops For On-Site Consumption, First In US To Do So At State Level

Alaska regulators announced Thursday the approval of the first retail stores in the state that will be authorized to have customers consume cannabis on-site, reported the Associated Press.

What Happened

While there are cities in other states that have also authorized marijuana use at cannabis shops, with this move Alaska became the first to issue these regulations on the state level, said Chris Lindsey, director of government relations with the Marijuana Policy Project.

“But clearly we’re still very, very early in all of this,” Lindsey said.

Why It Matters

The Marijuana Control Board issued consents to two cannabis shops - GoodSinse LLC in Fairbanks, and Cannabis Corner in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, writes the news agency.

“This is historic in my mind,” said Daniel Peters, a co-owner of GoodSinse. “This is a really big milestone ... when you're trying to bring normalcy to something in a new industry.”

GoodSinse plans to open by summer, while Cannabis Corner projects earlier opening – in February.

According to the Associated Press, Alaska’s regulations for on-site cannabis consumption went into effect in 2019, with the rules requiring for consumption areas to be appropriately divided from the rest of the property, and for the consumption to be observed by employees.