Alaska First State To Legalize Social Marijuana Use – The Fresh Toast

 

Although marijuana is legal in a handful of states for recreational use, the powers that be in most of those jurisdictions have put their foot down when it comes to allowing cannabis users to consume the herb in a public setting in the same way that has been done with alcohol for decades. But not Alaska. Earlier this week Lieutenant Governor Kevin Myers put his signature on a bill that will allow licensed dispensaries to open up social consumption sites for those 21 and older.

RELATED: Cannabis Vacation Guide: Get Baked In The Wilds Of Alaska

Dispensaries must also provide security and ventilation that meets the standards of the Marijuana Control Board. And unlike a bar situation, where patrons can drink as much as like as long as they don’t start fighting or bothering others, there are some serving limits. Reefer retailers may only sell one gram of weed (or one 10 mg edible) to a customer a day. It’s far from a perfect system, but it is one that cannabis advocates hope more states will start to embrace very soon.

While Alaska is the first state to legalize social pot consumption, it is not the only spot in the United States where the concept is being implemented. In San Francisco, a similar model is being used. Dispensaries there can provide a special section for patrons to use marijuana in a social setting.

Social marijuana use is struggling to take off in the United States.

Maine was supposed to have a social marijuana use component – at least it was written in the language of the law – but regulators have not created a system for it as of yet. It is essentially the same deal in Massachusetts. Las Vegas is another city where lawmakers have been pushing for cannabis lounges.

Alaska understands that what it is doing is new and that many other jurisdictions are looking to  it as a guide.

“This is something that’s not happening anywhere else in the U.S. yet. As we start to develop this, people are really looking at us, so I know that everybody wants to get it right,” Cary Carrigan, executive director of the Alaska Marijuana Industry Association, told the Associated Press.

%d bloggers like this: