Alaska marijuana regulators to consider onsite use tweaks

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska’s first-in-the-nation statewide rules for allowing onsite consumption of marijuana at authorized stores could be tweaked to ease requirements for shops that want to offer places to consume edibles but not permit smoking.

The Marijuana Control Board plans to consider the issue this week. The five-member board will be short-handed, with one member out of state and one seat vacant. Any approved changes would go for public comment.

New rules specify conditions stores must meet to be authorized for onsite consumption. The rules refer to stores in freestanding buildings, consistent with language in a statewide smoke-free workplace law, and include ventilation requirements.

The proposed changes would allow stores not in freestanding buildings to have onsite consumption of edibles only. Ventilation systems would be required for onsite use areas allowing smoking.