A budding business: Happy Cannabis

Marijuana legalization is a hot topic of discussion across the country. Several states have legalized the drug. One such state is Alaska. In 2015 Ballot Measure 2 was passed, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, and the recreational use of marijuana was legalized within the state. One person in the city of Wrangell has jumped at the opportunity to grow their own local business.

Kelsey Martinsen opened Happy Cannabis last April on Front Street, at the old location of the Diamond C Café. He says that business has been steady, and he is excited to keep expanding his business.

"We just saw how successful it had been down in Washington," he said. "Plus, I really love cannabis."

Martinsen estimated that a little less than 25 percent of his business has come from tourism, the rest coming from Wrangell residents. They started small, he said, selling only marijuana flowers, pre-rolled joints, and some edibles. Recently they added vapes and cannabis concentrates. He said that he hopes to start providing CBD oil for sale, too. He also said that there was resistance from some people when he first opened his business.

"We've had quite a bit of pushback but I knew it would be okay," he said. "About 40 percent of the population that can use cannabis uses cannabis."

Before turning it into Happy Cannabis, Martinsen owned the Diamond C Café. The storefront is located on the side of the building, and the remainder of the structure is used to grow his product. He said he has 15 rooms to grow different strains of marijuana in. Martinesn said that it takes about four months to grow a marijuana plant to the point it is ready to harvest, but soon they will be able to harvest about one room of marijuana a week.

"We want this to work for Wrangell," he said. "We hope we generate some taxes for it. I think I've created a whole new tax bracket ... We think weed is just a safer, better product."

Martinsen and his wife currently operate Happy Cannabis themselves, he said, along with some seasonal workers to help with the harvesting. He said he wants to hire three staff members in the coming months.