Ketchikan’s first application for on-site cannabis consumption is slated to come before the Borough Assembly on Monday.
A marijuana dispensary about nine miles north of downtown Ketchikan is applying to the state to offer on-site consumption of its products. Local governments have a chance to protest marijuana license application inside their jurisdiction.
Borough staff recommend allowing the application from Cannabis Corner to proceed. They note that the Ketchikan business pays its taxes, is in compliance with local ordinances and zoning and is in good standing with the borough.
Cannabis Corner’s application for on-site consumption will go before the state Marijuana Control Board later this month. If approved, it would be among the first retailers in the state allowing on-site consumption.
In other business, the Ketchikan Borough Assembly is also set to consider whether to sign onto a 28-page letter from business groups and local governments supporting a full Roadless Rule exemption for the Tongass National Forest. The Clinton-era rule restricts road building in national forests.
The City of Ketchikan signed the letter in early December. The Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce, the Alaska Forest Association and the Southeast Alaska Power Agency are also notable signatories to the letter.
But during a November public meeting and subsistence hearing in Ketchikan, many residents asked the U.S. Forest Service to preserve the Roadless Rule. The Forest Service saw similar pushback at meetings throughout Southeast Alaska.
Monday’s meeting gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Ketchikan’s White Cliff building.