The Anchorage Assembly approved the city’s first commercial marijuana grow Tuesday night, a significant step forward for the developing legal cannabis industry.
“This whole green revolution, it starts here tonight with the City of Anchorage,” said Assemblyman Dick Traini who voted to approve the local marijuana license and special-use permit for Dream Green Farms and to refer the application for a second proposed commercial marijuana grow, Arctic Herbery, to an Assembly committee for additional review after a flurry of late-night debate.
“The concern is all these little details and we’re going to have to work them out,” Assemblyman Tim Steele told Arctic Herbery owner Bryant Thorp during the meeting. “We’re not picking on you, it’s a new process.”
Tuesday marked the first time the Assembly held public hearings for proposed cultivation facilities after Alaskans voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2014.
In an effort to further structure the city’s approval process, the Assembly also voted Tuesday night to send all future marijuana applications to its Community and Economic Development Committee before it took public testimony.
This did not apply to Dream Green Farms.
Anchorage’s first approved marijuana grow
In a 10-0 vote, Assembly members approved the local license and permit for Dream Green Farms, at 2939 Porcupine Drive in Mountain View. Assemblyman Patrick Flynn was excused from the meeting because he is an investor in a proposed marijuana cultivation business that has an application in with the state, he said.
*Article originally published in the ADN.com
