State House Passes Recreational Marijuana Bill

On Thursday the Alaska State House of Representatives passed a bill concerning recreational marijuana.  House Bill 75  amends current statutes defining marijuana so that they explicitly include marijuana concentrates.  In addition, the bill sets a limit on the number of total plants that may be in a single household.  Last November, Alaska voters passed Ballot Measure 2, which legalizes recreational marijuana, and allows an individual to have up to six plants in his or her home.

Citing concerns that residences housing multiple adults could lead to substantial grow operations, the House bill places a cap of twenty-four total plants on a single household.  Attempts on the House floor to reduce that number to twelve failed.

House Bill 75 also lays some of the groundwork for allowing marijuana businesses to register with municipalities.  The bill also adds marijuana clubs to the list of businesses that municipalities can choose to ban.  Commercial growing, processing, retail, and testing facilities are also up to each municipality.  In the case of unincorporated areas, such as the Upper Valley, the borough governments can assume local control.  The bill also gives municipalities the authority to enforce any local ordinances.

The bill now proceeds to the State Senate.  A different bill dealing with recreational marijuana has passed the Senate, and is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.