When the Sitka Assembly meets tonight, it will consider whether to allow on-site consumption of cannabis at local retailers.
In 2019, five years after the legalization of marijuana in Alaska, the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) updated its regulations to allow onsite consumption at retail stores, allowing customers to smoke marijuana or consume edibles at those stores in a designated area. But in order to allow on-site consumption, stores must secure an additional endorsement from AMCO on top of their marijuana retail license.
Sitka has not yet incorporated the state regulations for on-site consumption into city code, which means that cannabis retailers in Sitka cannot apply for an endorsement. According to a memo from Planning and Community Development Director Amy Ainslie, Marty and Elizabeth Martin, owners of AKO Farms, applied for the zoning change, which was approved by the planning commission at its April 16 meeting.
In other business, the assembly will consider accepting a scoreboard for Moller Field. The $30,000 item is a donation to the city from the Holland America Cruise line. And it will consider funding an electric vehicle transit van for the Parks and Recreation division.
The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. tonight. Raven News will broadcast the meeting live, following Alaska News Nightly.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the year marijuana was legalized in Alaska. This story was updated on 5-13-25 to correct the error.
