In an Amsterdam style of things, activists have a vision for Alaska that involved being able to smoke in public.
‘Where can I smoke a joint?’ you may ask the taxi driver when you get out of the airport in Anchorage.
“We just know when the tourists show up, that will be one of the first questions,” said David J. Straub, who cultivates on 6 acres of land about 50 miles north of anchorage.
Alaska legalized recreational cannabis in 2014 and it is now on track to be the first state that will allow consumption of marijuana on the premises of business that also sell it. The first retail businesses will likely be licensed in September, just after tourist season.
The rules are still to be finalised, the Marijuana Control Board approved a draft resolution on Wednesday that called for any consumption areas to be secured off from the retail premises by a secure door. Items purchased for consumption on the premises would not be allowed to leave the premises, much like in a bar.
Soon enough, Alaska could be the go to place for cannabis tourism, due to the fantastic nature, coupled with the ability to smoke cannabis in public premises, something that states like Colorado have seen a novel approach to rules that mean tourists usually can’t find somewhere to toke up.