"legalized pot"

Friday was the opening day for marijuana retailer Rainforest Farms, and they had to close early because they sold out.

Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office Director Cynthia Franklin told state legislators that marijuana testing should begin within weeks.

Bruce Schulte was active in the 2014 ballot initiative that legalized marijuana in Alaska and had served as chair of the Marijuana Control Board.

Approval of the application by CannTest LLC of Anchorage, a marijuana testing facility, was met by applause and cheers at the meeting in Anchorage.

Pot entrepreneurs will be able to grow their crop in some low-density neighborhoods, outside the city’s urban service boundary.

A zoning ordinance that allows growing commercial marijuana in low-density neighborhoods is heading back to the Juneau Assembly for public testimony.

The proposed ordinance specifies where marijuana can be grown, processed and sold. A moratorium on marijuana businesses expires at the end of the year.

The ordinance extends the moratorium to Dec. 31 and gives the city more time to adopt new land use regulations following last fall’s successful ballot measure to legalize marijuana.

Local officials are recommending the City and Borough of Juneau handle all of its financial transactions with marijuana businesses in cash, and to take extra precautions to protect it.

A panel developing Juneau policies governing marijuana businesses wrestled with that question on Thursday.