Pubdate: Wed, 24 Dec 2014
Source: Anchorage Press (AK)
Copyright: 2014 Anchorage Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.anchoragepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3078
Author: David Holthouse

THE GREEN RUSH BEGINS

Some cannabis start-ups aren't waiting for "technical" legalization 
before openly doing business.

Advertised online as "the first cannabis delivery service to come to 
Alaska," Discreet Deliveries is open for business, and flagrantly illegal.

The Wasilla-based start-up offers fast, free delivery of cannabis 
"smokeables" and "edibles," anywhere in Anchorage, Eagle River, or 
the Mat-Su Valley.

Its extensive menu includes finely cured buds of Zero Dark Thirty, a 
hybrid strain of cannabis that's high in both psychoactive and 
medicinal compounds, for prices ranging from $60 for one-eighth of an 
ounce to $320 for a full ounce. In the edibles category, Jolly Lollis 
are four for $28 ("one lolly, one serving"), Cannabis Carrot Cake 
Cookies are two for $20, and, for connoisseurs with classic taste, 
Baked Brownies are $20 each.

Customers place orders online or via phone. Payment is cash or 
BitCoin only. The business advertises on Facebook, Twitter, 
Instagram, Google plus, and national cannabis delivery websites like 
Weedmaps.com.

Discreet Deliveries owner Rocky Burns, a former real estate agent, 
told the Press he began advertising and delivering cannabis products 
on November 10-six days after Alaska voters approved a ballot measure 
to not only legalize the cultivation and possession of cannabis for 
recreational use, but also to create a state-run system to legalize, 
regulate and tax commercial sales of cannabis to adults over the age of 21.

However, the measure does not officially become law until February 
24. And state regulations for commercial marijuana businesses will 
not be established until next September at the earliest. Which means 
that, at least for now, Burns is operating in blatant violation of the law.

"Technically, we are acting rogue while this transition from 
prohibition takes place, but we look forward to being legal soon," 
Burns said. "I believe most law enforcement wanted this law repealed 
anyway, and as long as I am going along with what their concerns are, 
and what the [legalization] initiative says, we have no beef. We do 
not work with any drug cartels. We only use Alaskan Grown products, 
so no borders are crossed. We ID everyone and never sell to anyone under 21."

Burns said that he is holding in reserve 25 percent of all sales in 
anticipation of paying that much in tax when state lawmakers enact 
regulations for marijuana businesses in Alaska in late 2015. "Until 
then, I will deliver on request that amount to any specific agencies 
that allow us to pay said taxes," he said.

The self-described "hub of the cannabis industry in Alaska" said he's 
relying on the clear intention of a majority of Alaskan voters to 
shield him from arrest and prosecution. "I'm counting on there not 
being 12 Alaskans that would find me guilty of picking up vegetables 
at a grower's house and dropping them off at someone else's house and 
getting paid for that service, as long as I go along with the 
initiative that was passed by the people."

Discreet Deliveries isn't the only cannabis business to begin openly 
advertising and selling products or services before legalization is 
implemented. Last month, the Alaska Cannabis Club, billed as 
"Alaska's 1st Legal Marijuana Resource," began selling memberships 
for $30. Membership entitles access to the club, where cannabis is 
available to smoke for no additional charge. The club also in recent 
weeks hosted a party with a $20 entrance fee, with attendants 
encouraged to bring their own cannabis, as well as alcohol, to 
consume on the premises. The club is located in the building that 
formerly housed the Kodiak Bar and Grill on Fifth Avenue. It does not 
have a liquor license.

Alaska Cannabis Club founder and owner Charlo Greene was recently 
described in a VICE Media documentary as "one of the most 
recognizable and brazen marijuana activists and businesspeople in the 
country." Greene claims that her business model is legitimate because 
the building, which she began leasing in November, is now her private 
residence, despite its being in a section of downtown that is not 
zoned for residential use without a special exception, which she has 
not obtained.

"The Alaska Cannabis ClubHouse does not serve liquor or illegally 
sell marijuana," reads a statement online.

"Club Members are welcome to consume the FREE WEED present INSIDE of 
the ClubHouse and are also welcome to BYOB (booze and bud). The 
Alaska Cannabis ClubHouse is technically housed inside the private 
residence of Charlo Greene and the activities that take place in 
Charlo's private residence are protected by Alaska's constitutional 
privacy laws."

Greene declined to answer questions about the Alaska Cannabis Club 
for this article.

Many fellow cannabis activists and entrepreneurs are questioning the 
judgment of start-up operators like Burns and Greene at such a 
crucial time of transition. The fledgling cannabis industry in Alaska 
is under intense scrutiny from the general public as well as local 
and state officials, and full-scale legalization is not yet a 
reality, let alone a sure bet. In December, Governor Bill Walker 
proposed extending the deadline for state lawmakers to enact cannabis 
industry regulations beyond next September, and the Anchorage 
Assembly considered but then voted down a proposal to ban legal 
cannabis sales in Anchorage in spite of statewide legalization.

"I would advise new cannabis entrepreneurs not to jeopardize their 
brand just to be first," said Cory Wray, director of the Alaska 
Cannabis Institute, a trade group that emphasizes responsible 
business practices. "I understand that many entrepreneurs want to be 
first. But nobody remembers the first business that went out of 
business, so prepare for longevity by doing things the right way. 
Inherently, a lot of cannabis businesses are going to be operating in 
the gray area. Some might even be taking advantage of loopholes in 
the system. But there are a lot of cannabis entrepreneurs in Alaska 
doing things the right way. We just don't hear about these businesses 
right now."

Burns, the Discreet Deliveries owner, agreed to be quoted in this 
article on the condition that the following statement directed to law 
enforcement authorities be included: "Please do not use any tax money 
to make a sting to catch me. If I am contacted, I will report to any 
station that asks and give a signed statement to what I am doing."

He said that business was slow at first, but has been picking up as 
word spreads online. "Some people still think I'm the police, however 
silly that is," he said. "This would be the worst sting operation 
setup in history."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom