Alaska Tightens Residency Requirements for MJ Licenses

Alaska has tightened residency restrictions on recreational marijuana business owners again after loosening them last month.

Now, anyone seeking a rec business license must be a full-time resident of Alaska who has lived there for at least one year and either works or goes to school in the state, according to the Associated Press.

Those were the initial requirements the Alaska Marijuana Control Board came up with earlier this year.

But at a Nov. 20 meeting, the board changed regulations to require potential business owners be eligible to vote in Alaska – which only requires a physical address. In other words, potential business owners would not actually have to live in the state.

Residency requirements are seen as a way of safeguarding the industry against interference from the federal government and ensuring business opportunities are filtered to locals rather than outside players.

A board member introduced another amendment Tuesday that would have allowed for 12.5% “outside investment” in Alaska businesses, according to the Alaska Dispatch News. Under the current regulations, Alaska marijuana businesses must be 100% Alaskan-owned.

But board members said they weren’t allowed to discuss it, and would have to wait until their next meeting in February.