Cannabis Coffeeshops Set To Open in Alaska

Most people in the world are familiar with Amsterdam's coffeeshop; where cannabis can be bought and smoked without fear of arrest (and if you don't you're on the right site!), however the same type of experience could soon be available in the USA.

In Alaska adult use of cannabis is already legal, the third state to do so. Alaskans 21 and older can possess up to one ounce of cannabis, grow up to six marijuana plants (with no more than three flowering), as well as being able to possess any amount of cannabis produced by those plants! This came into effect on February 24, 2015.

However it was back in 1975 when the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that an adult’s right to use and possess a small amount of marijuana at home for personal use was protected under the Alaska Constitution’s right to privacy (Ravin v. State).

Now Alaska is looking to take it up a notch, becoming the very first state in the USA to allow Amsterdam style cannabis cafés. This would allow consumption in businesses open to the public, something which is illegal everywhere else. The state's cannanis law technically forbids public consumption, but it doesn't actually define what a public place is.

 The Alaska Marijuana Board, which will have ultimate authority over the cafés, and of course cities will apply their own laws and restrictions. Anchorage already has a ban on public consumption, which means businesses that might otherwise be licensed for onsite consumption could face problems when trying to open a business within that city.

The Alaska Marijuana Board says it will begin accepting applications for cannabis business licenses in February and is expected to start issuing licenses for "cannabis cafes" in late May. As the cannabis industry expands throughout the USA and the world, countless new businesses, jobs and technologies will be created, and its looks like Alaska will now become the first frontier of Amsterdam style coffeeshops in the United States of America.

 

For more information about cannabis in Alaska, visit the Alaska Cannabis Club. Alaska’s first and only legal cannabis resource. Alaska Cannabis Club is private organization serving the needs of Alaska’s cannabis community.

 

Source: http://www.alaskajournal.com/2015-12-22/retail-legalization-marijuana-will-become-reality-2016