Residents of Anchorage, Alaska will have to wait to smoke marijuana in licensed retail establishments after an ordinance to allow it was indefinitely postponed.
The Anchorage Assembly voted 7-3 to table the ordinance, which would allow “onsite consumption of marijuana by smoking or any method in licensed retail marijuana establishments” if they have an endorsement consistent with Alaska laws, according to KTUU.
East Anchorage representative George Martinez, who introduced the bill, called for debate on the matter to continue because the state has rules in place for municipalities to follow.
“The state has developed strict rules for on-site consumption including, and all the way through, inhalation … with requirements for ventilation, employee protections and separate areas from retail,” Martinez said.
In 2020, Anchorage voters rejected a measure to allow cannabis consumption on store premises.
During the meeting, community members voiced their concerns about smoking indoors and cancer-causing chemicals in the smoke.
“It is clinically proven that cigarette and vaping smoke contain cancer-causing chemicals,” Don Enslow said during his testimony.
“Secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same cancer-causing substances and toxic chemicals as secondhand tobacco smoke. Furthermore, ventilation systems cannot eliminate the health harms from secondhand smoke exposure.”
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