Overview

In 1998, 58% of Alaska voters approved Measure 8, a law which provides a legal defense to non-registered patients and those who can demonstrate adequate need to possess large quantities of medical marijuana. On November 4, 2014, 53% of voters approved Measure 2, also known as AS 17.38 or Alaska Marijuana Legalization Initiative, allowing for the regulation, production, sale, and use of marijuana for adult use. Alaska became the third state to legalize recreational marijuana. Measure 2 went into effect February 2015 and the first licensed recreational marijuana businesses were authorized to begin operations in Alaska in 2016.

Alaska’s Medical Marijuana program did not create provisions for medical dispensaries to be licensed or to operate legally.

Alaska’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) runs the Medical Marijuana Registry. For patients and/or caregivers, visit the DHSS website for application forms.

Available Marijuana Business License Types

The Marijuana Control Board does not limit the number of adult-use marijuana licenses it can issue at the state level. However, Measure 2, specifically, AS 17.38.110(b) states that local governments can restrict the time, place, manner and number of marijuana licenses. Check your local government to make sure of the local limit on where to open a dispensary or other marijuana business. Alaska’s adult-use marijuana industry includes six types of marijuana establishment licenses:

• Standard Marijuana Cultivation Facilities
• Limited Marijuana Cultivation Facilities
• Marijuana Product Manufacturing Facilities
• Marijuana Concentrate Manufacturing Facilities
• Marijuana Testing Manufacturing Facilities
• Retail Marijuana Store

Application Fees/Start-up Costs

Application Fees and Start-up costs are listed on the Alcohol Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) website. AMCO accepts checks, cashier's checks, and money orders for marijuana applications. Below you will find adult-use application fees and start-up costs.

History of Medical Marijuana in Alaska

Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer (R) signed the state's approved regulations for onsite consumption on March 12, 2019. The laws went into effect April 11, 2019.

Even though legalization of recreational marijuana occurred in 2014, many Alaskans with criminal histories pertaining to marijuana still face difficulties in employment, housing, and education. Senate Bill 8, introduced by Senator Tom Begich (D) in 2019, aims to make minor marijuana offense records confidential and remove them from certain background checks.

Medical cannabis use was first legalized in 1998 after voters approved the Alaska Medical Marijuana Initiative (Measure 8).