On Wednesday, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board approved the license application for the Upper Valley’s first marijuana retail facility by a vote of three-to-two.
The application for The High Expedition received what one board member described as more opposition than any other license he had seen. That opposition came in the form of both letters and testimony over the phone to the Marijuana Control Board. Many of the concerns expressed by those in opposition are based on The High Expedition’s location on Main Street in Downtown Talkeetna. Proximity to a borough-owned campground, the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station, the Susitna River, and the Susitna Salmon Center were all mentioned in testimony to the board. Issues of marijuana’s federal status as a schedule one narcotic were also raised. Joe McAneney, one half of the partnership that owns The High Expedition, says his location is in compliance with all state-mandated setbacks.
Not all testimony was in opposition to The High Expedition’s license. Other license-holders and applicants as well as some Talkeetna area residents spoke in favor of the application. During the hearing, Joe McAneney told the board that neither the Talkeetna Community Council or the Mat-Su Borough Assembly had objected to the application.
Wednesday’s meeting was the final step in the process that involves a public hearing. Joe McAneney told KTNA in an earlier interview that there is at least one more administrative step that he estimates will be completed within two weeks, and he plans for The High Expedition to open its doors later this month.
