Alaska’s top marijuana, alcohol official resigns to become administrative law judge

The executive director of the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office has resigned to become chief judge of the Office of Administrative Hearings, which handles most initial challenges to state administrative actions.

Joan Wilson, the former director, had served as the state’s top alcohol and marijuana official since being appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in April 2022. Her resignation, which took effect in September, was not announced by the state.

The acting director of AMCO, as the alcohol and marijuana office is colloquially known, is listed online as Lizzie Kubitz, a special assistant in the Department of Commerce.

No permanent director has yet been named.

AMCO holds a unique, quasi-judicial role in state government, regulating alcohol and marijuana growers, manufacturers and sellers. It has a small, police-like investigative division, and its director, though appointed by the governor, may be removed only by a joint vote of the state’s alcohol and marijuana boards.

Over the past two years, AMCO has been implementing a major alcohol licensing reform bill that allows, among other things, the shipping of alcohol through the mail.

During Wilson’s tenure, the state banned intoxicating, marijuana-like hemp products, an act that sparked a still-ongoing lawsuit in federal court. Her agency also implemented a new online licensing system and petitions from communities that sought additional alcohol licenses under provisions of the alcohol licensing reform bill.

By phone, Wilson said her time with AMCO was extraordinarily rewarding, and the job of balancing public safety with commerce was enjoyable.

“I’m happy to be here, but I really do miss the AMCO team,” she said.

A licensed attorney, Wilson said she wanted to return to the practice of law, and being the state’s top administrative law judge was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse.

“A big thing for me, even as director, is that if the government’s going to make a decision against you, I want you to have due process. That was really important to me, and now I think I can take that vision that I was able to implement at AMCO, to a higher level,” she said.

Wilson’s position is subject to confirmation by the Legislature after it convenes in January.

She said the next AMCO director is likely to have at least a year more of work implementing the licensing reform bill.

She said the next director should have the willingness to listen to their staff but also the ability to lead and stand behind their decisions, once made.

That said, she added that a director should also have the humility to admit mistakes and fix them where needed.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.