The Dream Is Still Alive For Alaska Pot Shop Smoking Lounge

Image courtesy of Ryan Dearth

Although an Alaskan retail marijuana shop’s efforts to get permission to open a pot lounge on the premises failed recently, there is still some hope for businesses in the state who are interested in providing on-site consumption.

Peter Mlynarik, the head of Alaska’s Marijuana Control Board, sided with two other board members in rejecting rules that would allow people to buy marijuana in authorized stores and then use another area to partake, the Associated Press reports, but despite that, he says he expects the issue to come up again at undetermined date in the future.

That’s what Alaska’s Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office is saying, too, because an existing marijuana regulation — which for whatever reason was left out at Thursday’s meeting — allows onsite consumption at licensed retail pot shops if authorized by the board:

“A licensed retail marijuana store is authorized to, with prior approval of the board, permit consumption of marijuana or a marijuana product purchased on the licensed premises, in a designated area on the licensed
premises,” the office said in a statement [PDF].

That being said, the office urged licensed marijuana retailers interested in having onsite use should submit documents to the board for review.

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