Winter in Unalaska by Sam Zmolek
Your voice in the Aleutians.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Council Moves Forward With Ban on Retail Marijuana

Courtesy of belmarstore.com

The Unalaska City Council is moving forward on enacting a total ban on retail marijuana stores on the island.

After considering three possible local ordinances regulating legal pot sales, the one the council approved for a second reading calls for prohibiting all commercialization of marijuana.

 

Council members Johnson, Kelty, and Rowland voted in favor of the ban ordinance and Gregory, Leclere, and Tungul voted against. Mayor Shirley Marquardt broke the tie with a vote in favor of the ban. 

 

Assistant City Manager Erin Reinders said a second reading of the ban ordinance is scheduled for the Feb. 9 city council meeting. If a majority of the council votes in favor of it at that meeting, the ban goes into effect immediately. 

In anticipation of the council prohibiting retail pot stores, a group of local residents have begun organizing an effort to sponsor a ballot initiative asking voters to decide whether or not a pot store could open in Unalaska. Sponsors would need to gather at least 167 signatures in order for the measure to appear before voters. 

City Clerk Cat Hazen said a measure initiated by voters is usually placed on the ballot during the next regular election. Or it can go before voters in an already-scheduled special election, as long as that election happens at least 60 days after the voter-initiated ballot measure is certified. 

According to city staff, a majority of Unalaska residents voted in favor of Prop 2, the 2014 statewide law that legalized recreational use of marijuana. Prop 2 is officially described as "an act to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana." In Unalaska, 271 residents voted against legalization. 369 residents voted yes on Prop. 2.

Greta Mart worked for KUCB in 2015 and 2016.
Related Content