Alaska’s Marijuana Control Board agreed Tuesday on draft regulations for “on-site consumption” marijuana businesses, Alaska Dispatch News reports.
Marijuana bars and cannabis cafes in Alaska will be allowed to serve food and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as dispense small amounts of cannabis flower and other products to patrons, who must be at least 21 years old. Customers will not be allowed to smoke or eat their own stash, however, and must make purchases at the bar.
Alaska is the only legalized state so far to include in its marijuana regulations a public space where cannabis consumers — particularly tourists, who often have nowhere to legally smoke pot — can consume in a social setting, other than a private residence.
Some of the board’s rules are aimed at preventing over-consumption, including one provision that caps the amount of cannabis flower from a single purchase at one gram. Edible doses will be limited to 10 milligrams of THC, while marijuana concentrate products will be capped at 0.25 grams per transaction. Businesses would also need to make available information about marijuana safety and to all consumers, free of charge.
Marijuana Control Board chair Bruce Schulte advised a “suitable degree of caution” moving forward, as cannabis cafes will likely cause more problems for local law enforcement than any of the board’s other regulations.