Anchorage Assembly Approves 2-Year Marijuana Licensing

As the legalized marijuana industry matures, the Anchorage Assembly is relaxing some of the paperwork burden on local businesses. A new municipal ordinance extends the licensing period to two years instead of requiring annual renewals.

Same Renewal as Alcohol 

The Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office still requires annual renewals for the corresponding state marijuana licenses, and that applies to businesses within the Municipality of Anchorage. But AO 2023-46 ends the need for yearly check-ins with local regulators.

“What we have seen from the marijuana industry is a stunning level of compliance over the last couple of years,” Anchorage Assembly vice chair Christopher Constant said at the April 18 meeting. “In some ways, this is a reward for good performance to an industry in our community that is providing millions of dollars in tax revenue, that has been the lone place in our economy where jobs are growing year after year.”

The change adjusts the marijuana licensing process to parallel alcohol licensing periods, reflecting the intent of the 2014 ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol. With that in mind, Constant says, “This ordinance is long overdue.”