Since voters last October rejected a ballot measure banning commercial marijuana sales inside the city of Fairbanks, solidifying the products’ availability, city officials are looking to incorporate marijuana regulations into Fairbanks City Code.
A six-page draft ordinance creating a new section of code will be previewed during a work session from 6-6:50 p.m. Monday in the council chambers, 800 Cushman St. If all goes well, an ordinance of the same nature will be included in new business at the council’s regular meeting Jan. 29.
“It’s pretty much our alcohol code, changed to fit the marijuana code,” City Clerk Danyielle Snider said. Snider said creating code to deal specifically with marijuana has been under consideration for a few years, but the council opted to wait in case voters decided they didn’t want commercial cannabis sales inside city limits.
“Since marijuana stayed, the council asked us to bring it back before them,” she said.
The proposed code includes regulations on reviewing licenses, clerical requirements for moving licenses through the city to Alaska’s Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, renewals and more.
As of Friday, the draft didn’t have any proposals for the allowable number of licenses. The draft ordinance does include language outlining reasons the council could protest a license, including: the character of a neighborhood, actual and potential law enforcement problems, concentration of other marijuana licenses in the vicinity, safety and crime of the area, parking, ingress and egress from the premise, applicant’s criminal history, code compliance and “Any other factor the City Council determines is relevant to a particular application.”
“Please keep in mind that this is a working document, and there are likely to be more changes before it is officially introduced,” Snider stated via email.
