Lawmakers plan work on marijuana bills over interim

  • By Molly Dischner
  • Saturday, April 25, 2015 9:53pm
  • News

JUNEAU — Alaska lawmakers say they will continue working on marijuana bills over the interim.

Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage, said the House Judiciary Committee, which she chairs, will work on a bill that would update state crime laws to reflect marijuana legalization, including a discussion of whether it should be on Alaska’s list of controlled substances.

That was one of several marijuana-related bills introduced this session, after voters in November approved recreational marijuana. Just one has passed: a bill from Gov. Bill Walker that creates a new marijuana board.

Unless action is taken before the Legislature ends, or the governor adds them to a special session call, they’ll be on the table when work resumes next January.

LeDoux said the committee didn’t want to rush legislation through and pass the Senate’s version of the bill without studying it. Instead they’ll continue that work this summer.

“I really want to kind of go over it with a fine-tooth comb, and make sure that what we do is correct,” she said.

The Senate spent about two and a half months on several drafts of the bill before passing a version in March that kept marijuana on the state’s controlled substances list.

LeDoux said her preference is to remove marijuana from that list, but some committee members want it on there.

Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, R-North Pole, said lawmakers will also work over the interim on a bill addressing how municipalities can trump state laws with local regulations, including prohibiting marijuana businesses or limiting hours of operation, for example.

That bill was sent back to the Senate Rules Committee after the version that passed the House didn’t have enough votes to pass in the Senate.

Coghill said the sticking points are local option provisions and a household limit for marijuana plants.

Some lawmakers want to prohibit marijuana businesses in much of the unorganized borough, and have communities opt back in to marijuana regulations, while others would prefer to use the opt-out system that was set up in the ballot initiative.

“Since we don’t really have to get it into place until the industry is allowed to license itself, we though, let’s let it sit for the summer and figure that out.” Coghill said.

The new marijuana board has a November deadline for drafting regulations for the new industry, with the first licenses expected to be handed out in May 2016.

More in News

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
King salmon fishing on Kasilof to close Thursday

If any king salmon is caught while fishing for other species, they may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Un’a, a female sea otter pup who was admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in June 2025, plays with an enrichment toy at the center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list.

James Wardlow demonstrates flilleting a salmon with an ulu during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge to celebrate all things fish during weeklong event

Fish Week will take place July 16-19.

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Updated: Refuge ends search efforts for missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

Most Read