The Kenai City Council voted on 12 questions regarding the sale and cultivation of marijuana to provide guidance to the Planning and Zoning Commission during a Wednesday night meeting.
The questions were written by City Manager Rick Koch and sought council member opinions on issues such as where marijuana could be grown, where it could be sold within the city and how many businesses could be allowed to grow or sell.
Koch said the commission needs direction from the council before it can begin gathering information or putting together recommendations, which will then come back before the council for final approval. Koch said these preliminary votes are by no means representative of final opinions, but are helpful.
For example, council members voted unanimously that the city should not prohibit the sale of marijuana within city limits. Had the council voted that the city should in fact prohibit the sale of marijuana, Koch said the Planning and Zoning Commission would have known there was no need to go forward with any recommendations.
Mayor Pat Porter said she plans to introduce a moratorium on any marijuana establishments starting up in the city until after the state of Alaska finalizes its own marijuana regulations.
Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.
