Alaska Cannabis Regulatory Overview
On November 4, 2014, Alaska voters passed a citizens' initiative to "tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana." In 2015, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board proposed regulations to govern Alaska's adult-use cannabis market, and those regulations became effective February 21, 2016.
Alaska Cannabis License Overview
Alaska's Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office grants four distinct types of licenses to marijuana businesses, two of which have sub-license types: (1) Retail marijuana store licenses; (2) marijuana cultivation facility licenses (limited or standard depending on volume); (3) marijuana manufacturing facility licenses (concentrates or product manufacturing depending on product type); and (4) testing facility licenses.
Alaska Cannabis Key Regulator
Alaska's lead regulator for its adult-use cannabis marketplace is the Alaska Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office, within its Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.
Alaska Cannabis Locality Options
Local communities have the ability under Alaska's cannabis laws to opt out of permitting legal commercial activity, as well as to enact their own regulations.