The challenges of getting a cannabis business going in a small Alaska town

PETERSBURG, Alaska — Now that marijuana businesses are up and running in Alaska, a resident of a small town on Prince of Wales Island is hoping to get support from the town’s voters to open up a pot business of his own.

Brian Wilson Jr. has submitted application materials to the state to start a cultivation business in Coffman Cove, but the process is on hold until the town’s voters approve marijuana operations locally, KFSK-FM reported.

The matter has already been voted down once, but Wilson said he’s looking to get another public vote this summer. In the meantime, he plans on educating voters about how the marijuana industry could benefit the town of about 200 people.

“A lot of people will vote based on their personal opinions toward it,” Wilson said. “They don’t go off facts; they don’t go off the studies that have been done recently.”

Wilson said bringing marijuana to Coffman Cove will help open some new doors for the community.

“All of our small towns have such limited resources for income and small economies, which is based around tourism mainly and commercial fishing. So, having a new industry for Alaska, I think, is wonderful,” he said.

City Council members say only a handful of votes kept pot businesses from opening in Coffman Cove.

Wilson said he would want to get his business started in about six months. He has plans to provide marijuana to retail stores on the island that might open in the future before expanding to other areas in southeast Alaska.

He’s already picked out a name for the business — Dazed Dog Gardens.

“I have a dog who is 14-years-old and his name is Dazed,” Wilson said. “I work construction and travel throughout different towns and he goes with me and a lot of people know him better than they know me.”

Information from: KFSK-FM