CBD in Alaska: Official Buyers Guide

If you thought the laws regarding the possession and sale of CBD are hazy and unclear, wait until we get into how much you’re allowed to possess.

To start, we’ll cover the legality of Alaskan CBD being produced because it’ll tie in with possession limits. In Alaska, CBD products must be derived from hemp plants and not marijuana plants. The difference between the two is that hemp must contain less than 0.3% THC.

The problem is, there aren’t any active hemp farms in Alaska, even though they are entirely legal to operate. The complexities of this problem are more agricultural than legal, and it’s a problem the DNR is hard at work solving.

So that means the CBD being sold across Alaska is often shipped from large cannabis-producing states like Colorado or California. And shipping these products through the USPS is technically illegal.

This would be a problem for marijuana, and CBD retailers were the law strictly enforced. But most postal service workers and Alaskan law enforcement officials tend to look the other way on this sort of thing.

Even if they didn’t, this problem, again, would fall back on retailers and not consumers like you 

for purchasing it, as long as you bought it legally from a licensed retail operation.

That said, there is no clearly defined possession limit of CBD for adult residents in Alaska and many other states. However, the amount of cannabis you’re allowed to possess is. These are two completely different things but bear with us here.

In Alaska, an individual over the age of 21 can purchase and possess up to an ounce of cannabis for personal use. Anything over that limit, up to four ounces, is a misdemeanor and can lead to fines or even a year in prison.

So, even though there isn’t a clearly defined limit to the amount of CBD extract, you are allowed to have on you, using the laws regarding cannabis could be a good starting point.

An ounce of cannabis is a decent amount for a person, but not enough to sell or otherwise do something the Alaskan government doesn’t want you doing with it. And this philosophy is a good idea to follow for CBD as well.

For example, having a dropper bottle or two of CBD oil won’t warrant any cause for concern from law enforcement. But if you had, say, 20 bottles, some eyebrows may begin getting raised, and law enforcement may begin looking for a way to charge you or otherwise remove them from your possession.

The moral of the story here is that having a reasonable amount of CBD extract for personal use will not land you in any trouble with the law. While CBD technically is a supplement legal under United States law, staying on the side of caution can never hurt.

As CBD’s medicinal benefits and by-in-part cannabis become more widely recognized, more individuals are becoming interested in medical marijuana than ever.

In fact, as more individuals use recreational cannabis casually, they are finding relief for symptoms, they otherwise would not have known cannabis could help with, or finding out firsthand that it works for them.

In any case, obtaining a medical marijuana card in Alaska opens patients up to more strain options and resources for treatment. And with the number of medical offices writing marijuana prescriptions, getting licensed in Alaska is easier than ever.

Another key benefit of getting a medical card is for those under the age of 21 that suffer from conditions marijuana is known to treat. Even patients under the age of 18 can qualify with parental or guardian consent.

But in the state, somebody can only prescribe medical marijuana for specific conditions. These are called “qualifying conditions,” and the list for the state of Alaska is as follows:

Assuming your physician approved you as qualifying for a medical marijuana (MMJ) prescription in the state of Alaska, your next step is to register with the state. To do this, you’ll need to fill out the application form on the Alaskan government’s website.

This form will ask for a few different things from you. First, it will need a copy of your physician’s recommendation with a signature. Typically, this will be the first page.

After that, it’s going to ask for pretty standard information from you, like your full name, address, and photo ID. However, on this form, only a state ID card or driver’s license will be accepted.

They’ll also ask for your doctor’s name, address, and phone number on top of your information. Additionally, if you plan on working with a caregiver, you will need to provide their name, address, and phone number as well.

Once the application is filled out, print it off and mail it to this address:

Health Analytics and Vital Records

Medical Marijuana Registry

PO Box 110699 Juneau, AK 99811-0699

As with many things in Alaska, finding a dispensary can range from walking a block or two down the street to making a few hour drive. The easiest way to find dispensaries near you is by a Google search or a dedicated website like Weedmaps.

Again, the rule of thumb is going to be like finding many things in Alaska. If you live somewhere like Anchorage, Fairbanks, or even Juneau, odds are you won’t have much trouble finding a dispensary near you.

But if you’re living in remote Alaska or even a small town like Haines, there may not be a dispensary for hundreds of miles. So growing your own may be a better and cheaper option than making the drive to town every so often.

The laws around home growing are pretty straightforward, and we will cover them in the next section.

We hope to have answered any of your questions regarding CBD possession and use in this article. While the system isn’t at full working capacity yet, it’s getting there.

The biggest hurdle to the CBD distribution system in the state is the lack of hemp growing facilities in the state. This will require concerned citizens to keep pushing for the DNR’s pilot hemp program to launch. 

Until then, it seems like Alaskan law enforcement is okay with looking the other way when it comes to CBD products being illegally shipped into the state. But once it’s available through an Alaskan business, it’s going to be worth it to buy local.