Alaska adopts rules for on-site marijuana consumption at retail shops

Alaska is set to be the first state with laws on the books regulating marijuana use in retail cannabis shops.

Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer on Tuesday signed off on new regulations that allow on-site cannabis use in retail marijuana shops. The rules go into effect April 11. That’s when freestanding stores can start to apply for endorsements from the state to allow customers to consume cannabis on their premises.

The Alaska Marijuana Control Board approved the regulations in December, but they still had to be reviewed by the state Department of Law and signed by Meyer before they could go into effect.

Meyer’s sign-off comes after years of back-and-forth by state regulators on whether Alaska’s cannabis shops should be allowed to let people use their products on-site.

“The big news is, the suspense is over,” said Mark Springer, chair of the Alaska Marijuana Control Board. “I’m sure there is a lot of excitement in the industry today.”

Mid-July could be the earliest that an on-site consumption facility might open, Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office director Erika McConnell said in an email. [Read more at Anchorage Daily News]