Things are moving along for the growing cannabis industry in the state of Alaska. In July, the first cultivation facility was finally licensed and now the second has received their full licensing as well. The first was located in Fairbanks, called Pakalolo Supply Co., and the second – which received its license July 28th – is located in Kasilof, and is called Greatland Ganja. These are the first of 47 approved dispensaries across the state to be licensed after a full inspection by the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office.
During the inspection, things such as security and inventory are of the utmost priority – for Greatland Ganja, things went relatively smoothly. The greenhouse facility is located a ways off a major highway and is behind a six foot fence that informs people that the area is heavily monitored – and it is. The only blind spot in the entire building is an incubation room, which the officers inspecting the premises gave them an advisory notice for, which gives them a specific timeframe to fix the issue (in this case, the issue being the blind spot).
There were a few other issues during their visit – but these were technical issues with their seed-to-sale tracking system, METRC, which is used in other states but must be tweaked for each new industry. At one point during the inspection, the scanners were picking up plants in other rooms – part of the visit was spent on the phone with METRC to sort out the issue. When they finally got it working, it was with the understanding that there may still be issues with the technology.
On the bright side for Greatland Ganja, the only other issue was somewhat joked about and somewhat a true concern due to regulations set forth by the Marijuana Control Board that require the plants be no more than 18 inches tall. Other than having some plants in their greenhouses growing at a rate that made them a little taller than allowed, and the single place where an additional camera is needed, they passed their inspection and it only took about three hours from start to finish.
There are 45 more facilities that will still need to undergo this inspection in order for them to receive their final license. It’s a lengthy process, but thorough inspections are important to the industry, especially when the state’s industry is just getting started like it is in Alaska.
