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A marijuana activist holds a flag during a march on Independence Day on July 4, 2021, in Washington, DC. Members of the group Fourth of July Hemp Coalition gathered outside the White House for its annual protest on marijuana prohibition which the group said it dated back to more than 50 years ago during Nixon Administration. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alaska relaxes rules for marijuana ads, allows free samples

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has signed new regulations that allow the state’s legal marijuana businesses to advertise more widely and to distribute free samples… Continue reading

 

A marijuana plant is displayed in a cannabis shop. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

House OKs making some marijuana convictions private

Bill expanding court’s decision to limit public web access for minor offenses passes 36-4.

 

Marijuana plants are shown at a California Street Cannabis Company location in San Francisco on March 20, 2023. Along the West Coast, which has dominated U.S. marijuana production from long before legalization, producers are struggling with what many call the failed economics of legal pot...a challenge inherent in regulating a product that remains illegal under federal law. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Part party, part call to action: A look at pot holiday 4/20

Examining cannabis culture’s high holiday.

 

Rachel Hightower and Ben Burns present a board showing homes, other buildings and activities near a proposed marijuana dispensary in Douglas, during a Juneau Planning Commission meeting Tuesday. The couple argued the dispensary, which was unanimously approved by the commission, is inappropriate for a neighborhood where there are families with small children and a school. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

First marijuana dispensary in Douglas clears early hurdle

Proposed shop approved by Planning Commission despite opposition from neighbors

Rachel Hightower and Ben Burns present a board showing homes, other buildings and activities near a proposed marijuana dispensary in Douglas, during a Juneau Planning Commission meeting Tuesday. The couple argued the dispensary, which was unanimously approved by the commission, is inappropriate for a neighborhood where there are families with small children and a school. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill reducing sentences for and clearing records for marijuana possession on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, a day adopted as an unofficial holiday by cannabis users. The maker of the bill said the timing was no intended. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

House passes marijuana bill on cannabis ‘holiday’

Pure coincidence.

The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill reducing sentences for and clearing records for marijuana possession on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, a day adopted as an unofficial holiday by cannabis users. The maker of the bill said the timing was no intended. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Axel Gillam, inventory supervisor for the Alaskan Kush Company, talks the state of business ahead of 4/20. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau empire)

Regulations, wait time make future of on-site pot consumption hazy

Some retail outlets see sobering loss of sales as first post-COVID 4/20 arrives.

Axel Gillam, inventory supervisor for the Alaskan Kush Company, talks the state of business ahead of 4/20. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau empire)
FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2016, file photo, a marijuana bud is seen before harvest at a rural area near Corvallis, Ore. Alaska Marijuana Industry Association President Lacy Wilcox said federal legalization could potentially hurt Alaska's cannabis cultivators who could lose out to other states such as Oregon where production is cheaper. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File)

Young supports bill to end federal marijuana prohibition

Start the conversation.

FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2016, file photo, a marijuana bud is seen before harvest at a rural area near Corvallis, Ore. Alaska Marijuana Industry Association President Lacy Wilcox said federal legalization could potentially hurt Alaska's cannabis cultivators who could lose out to other states such as Oregon where production is cheaper. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File)
Alex Alf, cultivation manager at Stoned Salmon Farms, displays a marijuana variety called Blissful Wizzard, on April 16. He said this variety of marijuana was developed to relieve epilepsy symptoms. Alf said that cultivating marijuana in Alaska requires experimentation to fine-tune the final product. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)

Checking in on a budding local industry

Even in the face of pandemic, business stays high.

Alex Alf, cultivation manager at Stoned Salmon Farms, displays a marijuana variety called Blissful Wizzard, on April 16. He said this variety of marijuana was developed to relieve epilepsy symptoms. Alf said that cultivating marijuana in Alaska requires experimentation to fine-tune the final product. (Dana Zigmund/Juneau Empire)
This June 2016 photo shows then-Alaska Marijuana Control Board member Brandon Emmett at the board's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved the first cannabis lounges in Alaska. It was a milestone for the state's legal marijuana industry. Then the pandemic hit. An owner of one of the shops hopes to open later this year. An owner of the other said his shop opened briefly last fall before having to hit pause amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow onsite use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited "for at least a couple years." (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Pandemic puts pause on on-site use for some Alaska pot shops

By Becky Bohrer Associated Press Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved two cannabis lounges in Alaska, making it one of the few states… Continue reading

This June 2016 photo shows then-Alaska Marijuana Control Board member Brandon Emmett at the board's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved the first cannabis lounges in Alaska. It was a milestone for the state's legal marijuana industry. Then the pandemic hit. An owner of one of the shops hopes to open later this year. An owner of the other said his shop opened briefly last fall before having to hit pause amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow onsite use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited "for at least a couple years." (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
Loren Jones speaks about marijuana to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge in this January 2019 photo. Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not reappoint Jones to the Marijuana Control Board. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Jones out as Alaska marijuana board member

“I’m about to turn 75; I’m still on the Juneau Assembly. I’ve got lots of things to occupy my time.”

Loren Jones speaks about marijuana to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce at its weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge in this January 2019 photo. Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not reappoint Jones to the Marijuana Control Board. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
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CBJ looks to revoke pot shop licenses when taxes are late

“Where there’s chronic delinquency, there needs to be enforcement.”

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Downtown shop may be 1st to offer onsite pot consumption

Downtown shop may be 1st to offer onsite pot consumption

No smoking.

Downtown shop may be 1st to offer onsite pot consumption
Agents Amanda Toma and Ashley Brodeur work with customers outside in the parking lot of cannabis purveyor Berkshire Roots in Pittsfield, Mass. Laws legalizing recreational marijuana may lead to more traffic deaths, two new studies suggest, although questions remain about how they might influence driving habits. Previous research has had mixed results and the new studies, published Monday, June 22, 2020, in JAMA Internal Medicine, can’t prove that the traffic death increases they found were caused by marijuana use. (Gillian Jones/The Berkshire Eagle via AP, File)

Recreational pot laws may boost traffic deaths, studies say

One study found an excess 75 traffic deaths per year after retail sales began in Colorado.

Agents Amanda Toma and Ashley Brodeur work with customers outside in the parking lot of cannabis purveyor Berkshire Roots in Pittsfield, Mass. Laws legalizing recreational marijuana may lead to more traffic deaths, two new studies suggest, although questions remain about how they might influence driving habits. Previous research has had mixed results and the new studies, published Monday, June 22, 2020, in JAMA Internal Medicine, can’t prove that the traffic death increases they found were caused by marijuana use. (Gillian Jones/The Berkshire Eagle via AP, File)
Patrons wait outside a cannabis business in Juneau on Monday, March 30, 2020. (Peter Segall | Juneau Empire)

Cannabis industry rolls along despite pandemic

It’s not all flower.

Patrons wait outside a cannabis business in Juneau on Monday, March 30, 2020. (Peter Segall | Juneau Empire)
Cash only? Bill could change the way Southeast’s marijuana businesses work

Cash only? Bill could change the way Southeast’s marijuana businesses work

SAFE Banking Act might be the end of cash-only operations.

Cash only? Bill could change the way Southeast’s marijuana businesses work
Talkin’ pot shop: Onsite consumption will get more consideration

Talkin’ pot shop: Onsite consumption will get more consideration

Onsite smoking is a consuming issue

Talkin’ pot shop: Onsite consumption will get more consideration
Jennifer Canfield, co-owner of marijuana retailer Green Elephant, talks on Monday, June 24, 2019, about how the company might turn its backyard into an onsite consumption garden if given permission by the city. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) <em></em>

Live: Assembly considers onsite smoking, a new name for the Willoughby District and more

Live coverage of the Assembly meeting

Jennifer Canfield, co-owner of marijuana retailer Green Elephant, talks on Monday, June 24, 2019, about how the company might turn its backyard into an onsite consumption garden if given permission by the city. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire) <em></em>
In this Feb. 20, 2015 photo, Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene prepares to roll a joint at the medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage, Alaska. (Mark Thiessen | Associated Press File)

You may soon be able to smoke where you shop

City ordinance is moving along.

In this Feb. 20, 2015 photo, Alaska Cannabis Club CEO Charlo Greene prepares to roll a joint at the medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage, Alaska. (Mark Thiessen | Associated Press File)
Marijuana regulators vent over investigative help

Marijuana regulators vent over investigative help

The dispute dates to last November.

Marijuana regulators vent over investigative help
Dunleavy not planning marijuana board repeal this session

Dunleavy not planning marijuana board repeal this session

Governor’s focus will be on other legislative priorities.

Dunleavy not planning marijuana board repeal this session