Republished July 25, 2019 - 7:01 AM
Original Publication Date July 24, 2019 - 9:36 PM
JUNEAU, Alaska - City officials have approved a law that will allow onsite marijuana use at cannabis retailers in Juneau, a report said.
The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly in a 6-2 vote approved the ordinance Monday permitting customers to consume edibles and to smoke marijuana onsite at state-approved companies, the Juneau Empire reported Tuesday.
Businesses can allow edibles to be consumed indoors and those approved by the state can offer outdoor smoking options, the newspaper reported.
Marijuana retailers are trying to give people a space to smoke while keeping the smoke out of public places, Green Elephant co-owner Jennifer Canfield said.
One critique is that the ordinance does not allow onsite smoking at all locations, even though it is allowed under state law, THC Alaska co-owner Ben Wilcox said.
The ordinance was an attempt to combat Juneau's secondhand smoke laws and keep smoke out of public places, Canfield said.
Secondhand smoke is harmful no matter where it is smoked, residents Kristin Cox and Emily Davis said.
Assembly member and ordinance opponent Mary Becker said she doesn't "want marijuana used inside or outside."
"If I had my way, it'd be nowhere, but I do not have my way," she said.
An amendment to only allow outdoor smoking by vaping to cut down on secondhand smoke was proposed by Weldon and rejected, city officials said.
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2019