JUNEAU — The Alaska House passed legislation Tuesday that would create a new board to regulate marijuana.
The bill, from Gov. Bill Walker, would create a five-member marijuana board that would share staff and resources with the state alcohol board.
When voters approved limited recreational marijuana use in November, they directed either the alcohol board or a new marijuana board to develop the regulations for marijuana businesses, including retail sales and commercial cultivation. Those regulations are due in November, with the first licenses expected to be handed out in May 2016.
As proposed, the board would include one representative each from the public health and safety sectors; one or two representatives of the legal marijuana industry or those with academic or advocacy perspectives on marijuana; a rural Alaska representative; and a member of the public if there is just one industry representative.
Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage, said she was told that 59 people have applied to be on the board so far.
Many of those supporting the bill said it was a necessary step toward implementing the voter initiative and protecting the public. "Clear regulations mean clear enforcement," Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, said.
The bill passed 25-15, but House Majority Leader Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, asked for reconsideration after voting in favor of it. That means the House could vote on it again before it goes to the Senate.
Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, reintroduced an amendment that he unsuccessfully proposed during the committee process that would have prevented the new board from giving a marijuana business license to someone who had been convicted of a felony within five years or a controlled substance-related misdemeanor within three years. The amendment failed 14-26.