The Anchorage Assembly’s vote last night to uphold the state’s timetable for developing commercial marijuana guidelines has state-wide implications.
As the largest potential market for commercial pot, much of the drive behind the proposed measure was to leverage Anchorage’s size in order to shape how regulations develop in the year ahead.
“This goes back to an absolute opportunity to negotiate from a position of strength, not to be a follower,” explained Assembly member Amy Demboski, who introduced the bill as a “wait and see” approach. “To me this is an opportunity to be problem-solvers, not to be obstructionist, it’s literally to look at it and say ‘ok, how do we proceed carefully.’”
Almost a hundred people came to last night’s meeting, many of them to share their feelings on the marijuana ordinance. The majority of those who spoke during public testimony opposed the ban, citing reasons that spanned the ideological spectrum, appealing to democracy, tax policy, and even scripture as they made their case.
The vote doesn’t mean Anchorage will automatically opt in to regulations once they are done, only that a “wait and see” approach will unfold over a longer timeline.
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