Is Weed Legal in Alaska?

The Legal Status of Weed In Alaska

One part of the answer to the question is weed legal in Alaska is that it is legal to use both recreational and medical marijuana in the state of Alaska. Adults who are 21 years of age and older can legally purchase and consume marijuana in the state of Alaska. The state of Alaska passed Measure 2 back in 2014 and this made recreational marijuana legal as of February 2015. As it stands right now, the state of Alaska is only the third state to make recreational marijuana legal. Alaska legalized medical marijuana quite some time ago in 1998 when Measure 8, also known as the Alaska Medical Marijuana Initiative, was approved by Alaska voters.

Alaska's Marijuana Legalization History

You can legally produce and sell marijuana in the state of Alaska. However, marijuana was prohibited in the state of Alaska for quite some time. Even as recently as 1990, you would have to pay a $1,000 fine or even go to jail for 90 days for possessing small amounts of cannabis.

Measure 8 did legalize marijuana use and marijuana possession, but no one had any way to legally obtain marijuana at that point. In 2006, the state of Alaska criminalized the possession of marijuana yet again. Frank Murkowski was the governor of Alaska in 2006 and he publicly opposed the use of cannabis, supporting the 2006 law that criminalized the possession of marijuana in Alaska. Governor Kevin Meyer signed off on Alaska's regulations regarding onsite marijuana consumption on March 12, 2019, and those laws took effect on April 11, 2019.

Where Can You Legally Consume Marijuana in Alaska?

The first thing that you should know is that Alaska state law prohibits you from consuming marijuana in public. You are free to consume marijuana on private property, though. You can also consume marijuana in any establishment that has a valid endorsement for onsite marijuana consumption, too. This means that you can consume marijuana drinks, salves, oils, patches, edibles, and even marijuana flowers. Additionally, you can consume topical marijuana products and concentrates at such establishments, too.

Where Can You Legally Purchase Marijuana in Alaska?

You can legally purchase marijuana at any state-licensed retailer in the state of Alaska. You can also go to any establishment that has a valid endorsement for onsite marijuana consumption and purchase marijuana there. You can legally purchase a maximum of seven grams of cannabis concentrate or one ounce of marijuana. You can purchase total cannabis as long as it has fewer than 5.6 grams of THC. If you want to purchase cannabis at an establishment with a marijuana consumption endorsement, you can only purchase a maximum of one gram that only has a total of 10 milligrams per THC in each transaction.

As you might expect, you do have to show a valid state ID in order to prove your age when you purchase marijuana in Alaska. Right now, you have to pay for any marijuana products with cash in the state of Alaska. You do not have to pay any use tax or sales tax on marijuana products in the state of Alaska.