If any Alaskan is looking for a legal pot social club, they will need the Legislature’s approval. That’s the message the Marijuana Control Board told us last week as the proposed regulations were accepted for specifically prohibiting any pot club unless there’s a license type established by lawmakers.
This vote was carried out during the two-day board meeting in Anchorage last week, which must be followed up by November 24th, the date by which all marijuana regulations of Alaska must be completed.
Theresa Collins, the owner of one such pot social club in Anchorage called Pot Luck Events was significantly disappointed by the decision, as her social club has been running since March. Her club similar to many others is a business that was opened after the state’s vote to legalize recreational use of marijuana in November last year.
Once the vote was completed, Collins expressed her dismay by stating that she would still take a stand for what is right. Her business remains open for now, while she is confident that the Legislature will be supporting the establishment of social club licenses.
The main issue in this case is the fact that pot social clubs aren’t even included as a license type in the marijuana statutes of Alaska. This simply means the Legislature is unable to create regulations about such types of businesses. The initiative simply mentions four primary license types, and they are retail, cultivation, testing, and manufacturing facilities, all of which will be governed by the board.
The section which specifically banned social clubs was voted for by four members of the board, and Brandon Emmett, the representative of the marijuana industry was the only one who voted against it. According to Emmett, the section is amongst the most controversial and popular sections that have been looked at by the board. In his words, the specific prohibition of clubs rather than complete silence on the issue would have sent a strong message to the Legislature which would have made it clear that the board remains against such businesses.
Mark Springer, a representative from rural Alaska as well as a board member simply disagreed. He believed some guidance in terms of legislation was required in this case. “I think that right now, since (clubs are not) authorized, we may as well say they’re not,” he said.
On the other end, Emmett was worried about the Legislature not taking any action on the issue, as he cited the fact that merely a single piece of legislation on marijuana was passed in the last session, even though there was significant work carried out on the multiple bills that were stalled prior to the closing of the session.
As per the regulations that have been proposed, any business or person who is found selling marijuana illegally would have to be fined $5,000 for every sale. Furthermore, businesses that are found to be violating license provisions might also be fined as much as $10,000 for their first violation as well as $50,000 for their third violation.
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