Adults 21 and older have been able to use cannabis legally in Alaska since February 24, 2015, when voter-approved Ballot Measure 2 took effect. The state sets the basic rules, but each city and borough can add its own, including banning stores outright. This page covers the state law first, then what’s different in each region of the map.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Laws and local ordinances change. Before you rely on something, check the official sources listed at the bottom of this page or call the city or borough clerk.
Cannabis-friendly lawyers in Alaska
Listed October 2026
These firms and attorneys publicly describe cannabis or marijuana work on their own websites. Cities and phone numbers below are taken from those pages. Jana Weltzin of JDW Counsel is also listed in the NORML lawyer directory for Alaska.
Business and licensing
JDW Counsel NORML directory
Jana Weltzin · Anchorage
Counsels Alaska cannabis businesses on licensing, land-use permits, and regulatory compliance for growing, selling, and investing.
(907) 231-3750
JDW Counsel website
Source: NORML listing · Firm bio
Carlson Law Group, LLC
Cindy Franklin · Anchorage
Helps clients apply for and keep licenses to cultivate, process, sell, or test marijuana, and represents licensees in dealings with AMCO, including notices of violation.
907-677-8111
Carlson Law Group website
Source: Firm marijuana licensing page
Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot
Jason M. Brandeis · Anchorage
Advises businesses and government entities on regulation of Alaska’s marijuana industry.
(907) 276-1550
Jason Brandeis profile
Source: Attorney profile
Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot
Richard R. Moses · Anchorage
Advises clients on marijuana and alcohol regulation and on professional licensing defense.
(907) 276-1550
Richard Moses profile
Source: Attorney profile
Alaska Cannabis Law Group, LLC
Lance C. Wells · Anchorage
Says it helps entrepreneurs and companies enter the cannabis industry and avoid criminal prosecution.
(907) 274-9696 or (907) 274-9393
Alaska Cannabis Law Group website
Source: Firm homepage · Attorneys page
Criminal defense and individual help
Eric Derleth
Anchorage and Soldotna
Defends people charged with marijuana crimes in Alaska, including possession, sale, cultivation, and driving under the influence.
Rogers Law Group, LLC
Fairbanks
Fairbanks criminal defense firm that lists marijuana-related charges among the drug cases it handles, and also defends DUI cases.
907 458-1080
Rogers Law Group website
Source: Criminal defense page
Denali Law Group
Wasilla
Defends drug cases for clients in Wasilla, Anchorage, and Palmer, and lists marijuana-related charges as one of those cases. The contact page also lists a Juneau phone, without a Juneau street address.
(907) 357-5297 · Juneau line 907-957-3600
Denali Law Group website
Source: Drug offenses page · Contact page
Law Offices of Herbert M. Pearce
Anchorage
Defends drug charges that the firm says include marijuana, among them possession, trafficking, manufacturing, and cultivation, and also serves the Mat-Su Valley and the Kenai Peninsula.
907-276-0113 · toll-free 800-579-4214
Herbert M. Pearce website
Source: Drug offenses page
Not a referral. This list is not an endorsement, and there is no paid placement. We have not verified bar standing or discipline history. Before you hire anyone, confirm them in the Alaska Bar Association lawyer directory, and you can also use the Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service.
The basics
Alaska’s cannabis law is in Alaska Statutes chapter 17.38. Licensed businesses are regulated by the Marijuana Control Board and the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) under 3 AAC 306. Under state law adults 21 and older may:
- possess, use, show, buy, carry or transport up to 1 ounce of cannabis, and the cannabis accessories that go with it;
- give away up to 1 ounce and up to 6 immature plants to another adult 21 or older, as long as nothing is paid or traded for it;
- grow a limited number of plants at home (see Growing at home) and keep what those plants produce at the place they were grown.
Selling cannabis without a state license is still a crime, even in small amounts. So is “gifting” cannabis as part of a sale, for example a “free” gram with a purchase of something else.
Under 21: it is illegal to possess, buy or use cannabis, and it is a crime for anyone to sell or give cannabis to someone under 21. Stores must check ID at the door and at the counter.
Old records: HB 239 (chapter 9, SLA 2026) became law without the governor’s signature on June 18, 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, a person may ask to have a record sealed if the conviction was for possessing less than 1 ounce of cannabis, the person was 21 or older, and the case had no other charges. Sealing becomes automatic in 2028. Ask the court system or an attorney whether an old record qualifies.
Buying from a licensed store
Only state-licensed retail stores may sell cannabis. Each store’s license number is public and stores must post it. A store may not sell any one person more than this per day (3 AAC 306.355):
| Product | Daily limit per person |
|---|---|
| Flower / bud (“usable marijuana”) | 1 ounce (about 28 grams) |
| Concentrates for inhaling (vape carts, wax, shatter) | 7 grams |
| All products combined (edibles, drinks, topicals and others) | 5,600 mg of THC |
- Edibles are limited to 10 mg of THC per serving and 100 mg per package, in child-resistant, opaque packaging (3 AAC 306.560).
- All products must be tested by a licensed lab and labeled with their THC content.
- Stores can’t let you consume on site unless the store holds an onsite consumption endorsement and the local government allows it. Few stores have one. See Rules by region.
- Many stores take cash only, because banks are still cautious under federal law. Most have an ATM.
- Delivery and online sales to customers are not allowed. You must buy in person.
Growing at home
- Each adult 21+ may grow up to 6 plants, no more than 3 of them mature and flowering.
- No home may have more than 12 plants, with no more than 6 flowering, no matter how many adults live there.
- Plants must be out of public view (no one should be able to see them without binoculars or an aircraft) and kept secure from people who aren’t allowed access, including anyone under 21. Breaking these rules is a violation with a fine of up to $750.
- The cannabis your plants produce may stay at the place where they were grown, even if it’s more than an ounce. Only 1 ounce may leave the property.
- You may not sell what you grow.
- Landlords, condo associations and some local zoning rules can restrict or ban growing on their property.
Where you can use it
The safest place to use cannabis is a private residence where the owner allows it. Public use is a violation with a fine of up to $100 under state law, and some cities fine more. “Public” includes:
- streets, sidewalks, parks, trails, beaches and campgrounds;
- parking lots, and cars parked or moving on a public road;
- bars, restaurants, stores (other than an approved consumption area), hotel common areas and other businesses open to the public;
- state ferries, buses, airports and other public transportation;
- schools, playgrounds and anywhere children gather.
Hotels, rentals and cruise ships set their own rules, and most ban smoking. Ask before you light up. Smoking is also covered by Alaska’s statewide smoke-free workplace law, so you can’t smoke cannabis anywhere tobacco smoking is banned.
Onsite consumption: Alaska was the first state to license onsite consumption at stores (rules took effect April 11, 2019). A store needs both the state endorsement and local approval, and must use a separate, ventilated consumption area. Customers there may buy only a small amount for use on site, such as up to 1 gram of flower per day.
Driving
- Driving, boating or flying while impaired by cannabis is DUI (AS 28.35.030), with the same penalties as alcohol DUI: jail time, fines, losing your license and possibly an ignition interlock.
- Alaska has no set THC blood limit. Officers judge impairment through field sobriety tests, drug recognition experts and blood tests.
- Using cannabis in a vehicle is illegal, for drivers and passengers.
- Keep purchases sealed in the original packaging and out of reach, ideally in the trunk or cargo area.
Travel & shipping
- Never take cannabis across a state or national border. Driving the Alaska Highway or the Klondike and Haines highways means crossing into Canada. Carrying cannabis across the border is a serious crime under both U.S. and Canadian law, even though cannabis is legal in Canada.
- Mailing or shipping is illegal. The U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS all fall under federal law.
- Flying within Alaska: TSA screens for safety, not drugs, but if it finds cannabis it calls airport police. At Anchorage and Fairbanks, police have generally allowed adults with 1 ounce or less in a carry-on to continue after a brief interview. In Juneau, police leave the decision to TSA, which may make you leave it behind (Anchorage Daily News, 2020). Airlines set their own rules: Alaska Airlines bans cannabis on board and in checked bags, and so do many smaller carriers. Flying out of state with cannabis is a federal crime.
- Alaska Marine Highway ferries: ferries travel federal waters, and the ferry system bans using cannabis anywhere on board, including staterooms. The Coast Guard can enforce federal law there. Routes stopping in Prince Rupert, B.C., or Bellingham, Washington, cross borders.
- Cruise ships ban cannabis in their passenger rules, and ports outside Alaska are a border crossing.
Federal land & federal law
Recreational cannabis is still illegal under federal law. In April 2026 the federal government moved state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III, but adult-use cannabis is still Schedule I while a broader rescheduling rule is pending. That matters in Alaska, where much of the land is federal:
- National parks and preserves (including Denali, Kenai Fjords, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai and Glacier Bay), national forests (Tongass and Chugach) and national wildlife refuges: possession and use are federal offenses, and park rangers enforce federal law.
- Military bases (JBER, Fort Wainwright, Eielson and others) and other federal buildings: banned.
- Metlakatla (Annette Island Reserve) is the only federal Indian reservation in Alaska. Cannabis is not legal there.
- Federal jobs and licenses: federal employees, contractors, and workers with federal licenses (pilots, commercial drivers, mariners) can lose their jobs or licenses for using cannabis, even legally under state law.
- Guns: federal law bars cannabis users from buying or possessing firearms. The question on the federal gun purchase form still applies.
Work, renting & medical use
- Employers do not have to allow cannabis use. They may drug-test and fire workers for using cannabis, even off the clock, under their own policies.
- Landlords and property owners may ban growing, smoking or all cannabis use on their property.
- Medical cannabis: Alaska has had a medical registry since 1998, run by the Department of Health. A registry card gives about the same possession and growing limits as the adult-use law. It does let patients under 21 use cannabis with a caregiver. There are no separate medical dispensaries and no tax break at stores.
Taxes
Alaska has no statewide sales tax on cannabis. Instead, the state charges cultivators an excise tax when they sell to a store: $50 per ounce of bud or flower, with lower rates for trim and immature or abnormal bud. That cost is built into the shelf price. A 2026 bill to replace it with a 6% retail sales tax (HB 91) did not pass, so the $50-per-ounce tax still applies.
Many cities and boroughs add their own tax at the register, as a general sales tax, a cannabis-only tax, or both. Known rates are listed in each region below. Local rates change, so check the receipt or ask the store.
The local option: why rules differ by town
Under AS 17.38.110 and 3 AAC 306.200, any city or borough may ban some or all types of cannabis businesses (stores, grows, manufacturing, testing) by ordinance or by a vote of residents. Since 2016, established villages outside any organized borough may also vote to ban them. Local governments can also:
- limit store hours, set buffers from schools and churches, and decide where stores may be zoned;
- allow or ban onsite consumption;
- add local taxes;
- object to a license application or renewal before the Marijuana Control Board.
What a local government cannot do is ban adults from possessing or using cannabis in private, or from growing at home within the state limits. A ban only means there are no stores (or no grows) there. AMCO keeps a list of local option decisions, but warns it may be incomplete because local governments aren’t required to report them.
Rules by region
These regions match the map’s Region menu. Store counts come from the map’s listings.
Anchorage
Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak and Girdwood · 62 stores on the map
- The Municipality of Anchorage allows retail stores, grows, manufacturing and testing, subject to its own local license and zoning rules (Anchorage Municipal Code Title 10 and Title 21).
- Tax: 5% local cannabis sales tax at the register. Anchorage has no general sales tax.
- Onsite consumption: the city allowed edibles and infused drinks in approved store consumption areas starting in 2019, but smoking and vaping are not allowed. Voters rejected allowing onsite smoking in 2020 (Proposition 11), and the Assembly shelved another smoking ordinance in August 2025.
- Anchorage’s strict smoke-free workplace law covers cannabis smoke.
- Most of Chugach State Park is state land, so state law applies there, but public use is still banned on trails. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is federal and cannabis is banned there.
Mat-Su
Wasilla, Palmer, Houston, Big Lake, Willow, Talkeetna, Sutton · 31 stores on the map
- Borough: Matanuska-Susitna Borough voters rejected a ban on cannabis businesses in October 2016, so stores and grows are allowed in the areas of the borough outside city limits, under borough rules.
- Wasilla: the city council banned all commercial cannabis inside city limits on January 25, 2016 (Ordinance 16-07(AM)), and the city code still prohibits stores, grows and cannabis clubs. Stores with a “Wasilla” address are outside city limits in the borough.
- Palmer: city voters banned cannabis businesses in 2015, then repealed the ban in a 2020 vote. Stores are now allowed under city zoning rules.
- Houston: voters rejected a ban in October 2015 (Proposition H-1, 150 no to 127 yes), and the city has long been a center for cannabis growing.
- Tax: the borough charges a 5% tax on cannabis sales. Inside Palmer and Houston the borough rate is reduced by whatever cannabis tax the city charges, up to 3% (borough marijuana tax).
- Talkeetna and Willow are unincorporated, so borough rules apply. Denali State Park is state land, but public use is still banned.
Kenai Peninsula
Soldotna, Kenai, Homer, Seward, Sterling, Nikiski, Ninilchik, Anchor Point, Cooper Landing · 32 stores on the map
- Borough: Kenai Peninsula Borough voters rejected a ban on cannabis businesses outside city limits in October 2017, by 64% to 36%.
- Soldotna: the city had a moratorium from 2015 until February 2018, when it ended. Stores are now allowed, but cultivation is not allowed inside city limits, and stores must close from midnight to 8 a.m.
- Kenai, Homer and Seward allow cannabis businesses under their own zoning rules.
- Tax: the borough’s 3% sales tax applies to cannabis, plus each city’s own sales tax (Kenai 3%, Soldotna 3%, Homer 4.85%, Seward 4%). Soldotna adds a 1.5% cannabis tax, for a total of 7.5% there. Borough sales tax applies only to the first $500 of each sale.
- Onsite consumption: stores in Seward and Soldotna have held onsite consumption endorsements.
- Kenai Fjords National Park, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Chugach National Forest cover much of the peninsula. All are federal land, where cannabis is illegal. Federal law applies on the national forest and refuge land around Cooper Landing and the Russian River.
Interior
Fairbanks, North Pole, Salcha, Delta Junction, Healy, Denali Park area, Northway · 27 stores on the map
- Fairbanks North Star Borough and the City of Fairbanks: voters rejected bans on cannabis businesses in October 2017, by about 70% to 30%. Borough zoning keeps commercial cannabis out of residential zones.
- North Pole: city voters banned cannabis businesses on October 4, 2016 (North Pole Code 5.09.020). Stores with a North Pole address are outside city limits.
- Delta Junction: the city council banned commercial cannabis in 2016. The ban applies inside city limits (3 AAC 306.250). Check the current status with the city.
- Tax: the borough charges a 5% cannabis sales tax. Inside Fairbanks city limits it is reduced by the amount of any city cannabis tax (FNSBC 8.54.040).
- Onsite consumption: the Fairbanks City Council allowed onsite consumption in 2019 (Ordinance 6101).
- Denali: stores near the park entrance are outside the park. Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, cannabis is illegal under federal law, including on park buses and in campgrounds. Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base are federal and ban cannabis.
Southeast
Juneau, Douglas, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, Craig, Petersburg, Wrangell, Hoonah · 29 stores on the map
- Juneau (City and Borough) allows stores. Tax: 5% general sales tax plus a 3% cannabis tax, for 8% total. In July 2019 the Assembly allowed eating edibles in store consumption areas and smoking only in designated outdoor areas (KTOO).
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 5% special cannabis sales tax, plus general sales tax (2.5% outside city limits; the City of Ketchikan charges its own, which is higher in summer). A Ketchikan-area store was among the first in the state approved for onsite consumption.
- Sitka, Skagway, Haines, Craig, Petersburg, Wrangell and Hoonah allow stores under their own local rules and sales taxes.
- Metlakatla (Annette Island Reserve) is federal Indian country. Cannabis is not legal there.
- Southeast towns are reached by ferry, plane or cruise ship. See Travel & shipping. From Skagway and Haines, roads lead into Canada: don’t cross the border with cannabis.
- Most land outside towns is the Tongass National Forest or Glacier Bay National Park. Both are federal, and cannabis is illegal there.
PWS-Copper River
Valdez, McCarthy · 3 stores on the map
- Valdez allows cannabis businesses under city zoning rules.
- McCarthy is surrounded by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Cannabis is illegal anywhere inside the park, including the Kennecott mill area.
- State local-option records from 2016 list several Copper River Basin communities, including Copper Center, Gakona, Gulkana and Chistochina, as banning cannabis businesses.
- Cordova and Whittier are reached by ferry, and ferry rules apply (see Travel & shipping). Much of Prince William Sound is in the Chugach National Forest.
Southwest
Bethel, Dillingham, Kodiak, Unalaska · 9 stores on the map
- Bethel allows stores. The city had a temporary moratorium in 2016 before the first licenses were issued.
- Kodiak and Dillingham allow stores under their local rules.
- Unalaska: the city council banned cannabis businesses in 2016, but voters overturned the ban that October. The first store opened in 2024.
- Many villages in the region have voted to ban cannabis businesses, often alongside local alcohol limits. Adults may still possess and use cannabis privately within state limits there. But don’t bring cannabis to sell or share for payment, and respect local rules and wishes.
- These communities are reached only by plane or boat. Airline bans and federal rules on the water apply (see Travel & shipping).
Arctic-Northwest
Nome, Kotzebue, Utqiagvik, Stebbins · 8 stores on the map
- Nome, Kotzebue and Utqiagvik have licensed stores. City and borough sales taxes may apply.
- Many smaller villages have adopted local bans on cannabis businesses. State law still allows adults to possess and use cannabis privately within state limits, but local rules and community wishes matter. Ask before bringing cannabis into a village.
- Travel is almost always by small airline. Many regional carriers ban cannabis on board, so buy after you arrive.
- Large areas are federal land, including Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley, the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Cannabis is illegal there.
Official sources
- Alaska Statutes, chapter 17.38: The Regulation of Marijuana
- Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office (AMCO): regulations (3 AAC 306), license search and Marijuana Control Board
- AMCO: Marijuana local option (city, borough and village bans)
- AMCO: Marijuana FAQs
- Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division (marijuana excise tax)
- Alaska Marine Highway System: Travel policies
This page summarizes state and local rules as reported through October 11, 2026. Local bans, taxes and consumption rules change, so call the city or borough clerk for current local rules. Nothing here is legal advice.