Alaska Readies New Marijuana Lounge Rules

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Alaska, the first state to officially sanction lounges where people can smoke or consume cannabis, has proposed new rules for how those businesses would operate, the Alaska Dispatch News reported.

If approved, the regulations would open new business opportunities for marijuana retailers – and new ways for these shops to boost revenue, create customer loyalty, and differentiate from competitors.

The draft rules must undergo a public comment period. Here’s how they’d work:
  • Recreational retailers would have to apply for a separate $1,000 on-site consumption license.
  • A consumption lounge would have to be on the same property but separated from the store itself, with its own door.
  • Customers could purchase “small amounts” of cannabis to smoke or eat (in the case of edibles) on-site, but visitors would not be allowed to bring their own marijuana.
  • Retailers could sell up to a gram of flower, 0.25 grams of concentrates, or an edible with 10 milligrams of THC per customer transaction.
  • Customers would have to leave behind any unconsumed cannabis, just like an unfinished beer in a bar.
  • Retailers could sell food and nonalcoholic beverages.
  • Retailers would have to provide safety and dosage information free of charge.
  • No happy hours, contests or deliveries would be permitted.