Alaska Cannabis Company Owners See On-Site Consumption As Boon For Tourism

Alaska Cannabis Company Owners See On-Site Consumption As Boon For Tourism

Alaska brothers James and Giono Barrett have a dream: that some of the scores of cruise ship passengers who crowd the state capitals streets each summer will one day use their shore excursions to kick back and light up a joint in a pot store lounge.

The Barretts own Juneaus first marijuana retail shop and want to tap into the $260-million or so that tourists dropped in the small coastal city last year.

Regulators could decide soon whether to make that happen. At a meeting todayin Juneau, they will consider allowing marijuana retail stores statewide to provide separate areas of their businesses for onsite consumption.

Its the first time the matter has been addressed at the state level in the U.S., said Chris Lindsey, a senior legislative counsel with the Marijuana Policy Project. Recreational marijuana is legal in eight states and the District of Columbia. Denver is considering licenses for marijuana social clubs.

Even if the Alaska board approves onsite consumption, dont expect to walk into a store Friday for a sit-and-smoke. Retail stores must file applications for such a lounge, including security plans and how it would be separated from the retail operation and ventilated. Many retail shops also would need waivers for local ordinances banning smoking.

Critics fear an Amsterdam-like scene and pot use spilling from the retail stores onto streets and trails. They hope the state marijuana board puts in place restrictions to keep onsite consumption from happening.

The Barrett brothers in December opened Rainforest Farms, where Gorilla Glue - with a THC level of 23.8 per cent- is their bestseller. They share concerns about cruise ship passengers smoking pot in alleys or on trails but say the easy solution is giving them a place to legally smoke their weed or eat their edibles before they head back to the ship.

"We have a lot of tourists that come to Juneau - over a million every year - and a place for them to consume responsibly seems like a good thing to do," James Barrett said.

Many of these tourists will continue on to Anchorage, where they could try more Alaska-grown weed before heading farther north.

Anchorage envisions 'green light district'

Leah Levinton envisions an Anchorage "green light district," where scores of tourists come on buses to try the offerings at four retail stores in the citys Spenard neighbourhood. She owns Enlighten Alaska with her brother, Evan, and their mother, Jane Stinson.

"Whether or not the state approves onsite consumption, the fact is were going to have plenty of people coming from outside the state, and even (from) various countries that want to check out what Alaska has to offer in terms of cannabis," she said.

About 100 miles north of Anchorage is the quirky tourist town of Talkeetna, long-rumoured to be the inspiration for the community featured in the 1990s television series "Northern Exposure."

Talkeetna is the last stop for climbers hoping to make the ascent of nearby Denali, North Americas tallest peak, and residents have carved out a cultural and historical tourism niche for tourists making their way to Denali National Park.

Joe McAneney is planning The High Expedition Co., a marijuana retail shop, in a historic cabin on main street and hopes to tie in branding with the citys rich mountain climbing history. He anticipates the state will consider his retail license in April.

Beyond the small cabin, once used by National Park Service rangers, he and his partner are working with designers to build a unique consumption lounge attached to the retail store.

They plan to keep the store open yearround to serve locals, but that cant be the only aim, McAneney said.

"I think anyone who really wants to succeed and set themselves apart in the Alaska market really needs to focus on tourism," he said.

Geri McCann has been involved with tourism in Talkeetna since 1973, and she opposes having a marijuana retail store on the main drag.

She markets Talkeetna as a cultural destination, where people can come to experience historic Alaska.

"We cradle that and protect that," she said. Her worry is that High Expedition customers will take ...

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