Alaska is making strides toward becoming the first state in the nation to allow customers to consume marijuana in recreational shops.
The state’s Marijuana Control Board voted 3-2 Friday to begin drafting rules for onsite consumption, Alaska Dispatch News reported.
The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed rules, which would make Alaska a pioneer in onsite consumption. Both the state of Maine and the city of Denver have plans in the works for social use of cannabis but haven’t finalized their programs.
One board member pointed to the positive effect onsite consumption would have on Alaska’s tourism industry.
“I think it’s time this board adopt something realistic and give those individuals who have no place to consume marijuana some place to do it legally” after purchasing it in the state, board member Brandon Emmett told Alaska Dispatch News.
According to the news outlet, the Marijuana Control Board wrapped up three days of meetings by also:
- Granting 26 new marijuana business licenses for cultivators, retailers and a testing facility.
- Approving a motion to request that lawmakers change the renewal period for marijuana license background checks from once a year to every three years.
