An Anchorage marijuana business that ran afoul of state regulations will be let off with a warning.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Alaska Marijuana Control Board heard from director Cindy Franklin, who said the owners of Arctic Herbery will not be prosecuted for the first alleged violation of Alaska\u2019s commercial marijuana rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe notice of violation here is a cautionary tale for everybody, so pay attention to what you\u2019re doing. Let\u2019s not see many more of these,\u201d said board member Mark Springer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m delighted with the board\u2019s decision,\u201d said Bryant Thorpe, Arctic Herbery\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n
Thorpe declined to discuss the issue further because of ongoing discussions with the Municipality of Anchorage.<\/p>\n
In late October, KTUU-TV reported that Arctic Herbery, which holds a marijuana cultivation license and a marijuana retail license, was giving away free samples of its product. That would have been a violation of several state regulations.<\/p>\n
After investigating the report, Franklin said the situation was more complicated.<\/p>\n
Thorpe and several individuals had been setting up the cultivation facility and retail business when Thorpe realized he still had personal-use marijuana at Arctic Herbery. Rather than throw it away, Thorpe used store equipment to roll joints and gave those joints to the people helping him with the business.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not give marijuana away to members of the public walking in the door,\u201d Franklin said, but \u201che did give marijuana away on his licensed premises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thorpe had believed that because his business did not have all of its permits from the Municipality of Anchorage, his business was not active and the location was still private, covered under Alaska\u2019s personal-use marijuana laws.<\/p>\n
Franklin said the state feels differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our perspective, he became a licensee when the board authorized his license,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Because of the confusion, the board declined to escalate the issue into its formal violation process, something that could lead to punishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fairly confident Mr. Thorpe understands the rules he broke and would not break them again,\u201d Franklin said.<\/p>\n
Board member Brandon Emmett said the incident is a reminder that marijuana businesses need to be cautious.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people are still wary of our industry,\u201d he said. \u201cOur industry (members) are all going to have to do their best \u2026 to change public perception.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other business Thursday, the board approved several draft changes to regulations concerning testing requirements, retail store notices, the fingerprinting of new owners, food safety permits and the effects of a local vote to restrict marijuana sales.<\/p>\n
Those drafts will go out for public comment and will only become effective if approved at a future board meeting.<\/p>\n
The next scheduled meeting of the Marijuana Control Board is in December.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact reporter James Brooks at 523-2258 or james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"