Regulators in Alaska have finalized rules for the state’s recreational marijuana marketplace, near exactly one year after voters in The Final Frontier approved cannabis legalization, making it the fourth U.S. state to undertake such reform.
There were significant changes made during the final meetings between regulators, which included a heated discussion over residency requirements for business owners/investors looking to pioneer the Alaskan cannabis industry. The final draft of the rules required individuals to meet the same requirements as Alaska’s voter registration process, but in a hasty reconvening of the state’s Marijuana Control Board on Dec. 1, regulators backpedaled on that decision.
The following is a list of key changes made by state regulators in the weeks leading up to the final draft, as noted in the Canna Law Blog:
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The Board decided to keep the buffer for children’s centers, schools, and churches at 500 ft., an issue which was of particular concern for Alaskans because of their small towns and densely packed tourist areas.
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The Board eliminated brokerage licenses, which would have created and regulated marijuana brokers as middle-persons between cultivators and retailers.
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The Board voted to allow branding in Alaska’s marijuana market.
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The Board decided mandated that marijuana products leave stores in opaque, childproof containers. It refused to implement stronger proposed childproofing requirements on the grounds that children are the responsibility of their parents, not marijuana retailers.
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The Board eliminated potency limits for marijuana.
Photo Credit: Zaskoda
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