Alaska is on its way to allowing onsite cannabis consumption at select dispensaries for medical and recreational users.
Customers of legal age will be able to purchase products at a brick and mortar dispensary. Then will be able to consume in a separate onsite lounge. Patios or rooms separated from the retail portion with a wall or door will classify as acceptable consumption areas.
Alaska is one of the states trailblazing safe consumption areas for cannabis. Even though the plant by-products are legal for adult use and are heavily taxed, many consumers are stuck without options for places to legally consume. By letter of the law, the only place to legally consume in Washington state is a private residence.
California has opened up smoking lounges in select areas, Oregon has a few in operation, and Denver allows some businesses to hold a permit for on-site vaping. Yet the majority of the country has yet to fully define “legal” consumption. The “private residence” law primarily pertains to single unit dwellings which is unrealistic in high dense metro areas where these homes are non-existent and an abundance of legal consumers are left stranded.
