Marijuana shop receives state approval, may not open

Licenses for the cultivation and retail of marijuana were approved for a Wrangell applicant earlier this month.

The Marijuana Control Board gave the go-ahead to the two applications during its April 4 and 5 meeting, put forward by Kelsey Martinsen of Happy Cannabis. The licenses are conditional, pending building plan approval from the Fire Marshal and local municipality.

As proposed, the shop would be a grow and retail business just between First Bank and the Diamond C Restaurant. The shop would feature a store front, with 15 grow bays and preparation rooms in the back. A third license for manufacturing concentrates was also under consideration. Once licensed and operational, it would be Wrangell’s only cannabis-related business.

The application process has been a long one, starting with a popular referendum in 2014 that legalized the drug for recreational use. Martinsen’s application process was initiated March 14 of last year, and was first taken under review by the board in November. It had to await adoption of zoning updates undertaken by the Planning and Zoning Commission last year. Wrapping up that October, Wrangell’s code was updated to match the state’s regulations.

Happy Cannabis received its conditional use permit from the city in December, allowing it to begin limited cultivation and retail once its state licensing was in order.

Between then and the present, the Borough Assembly adopted additional restrictions limiting the sale of marijuana-related products to the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours, Monday through Saturday. An excise of $10 per ounce of cultivated marijuana was also adopted, to be paid by the cultivator. This would come on top of the $50 sales tax being levied by the state on retail products.

Asked for comment following the MCB’s decision, considering the costs Martinsen expressed uncertainty about his proposed shop’s future. “With the taxes and new regulations being passed, we’re not looking at doing the business here,” he said.