Anchorage Assembly weighs waiving protest of 41 marijuana license renewals

The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday will consider giving up its right to protest the state renewal of 41 marijuana licenses in the city and renewing city licenses for 10 of them.

One resolution would renew municipal licenses for 10 establishments and waive the city's protest of their state renewals. A second would waive protest only, for 31 establishments not due for city renewal this year. The state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office sent the notices between Sept. 1 and Oct. 8. The city's protest deadline is Oct. 31.

Nine of the 41 notices belong to two groups of companies. Eden Management Group and Eden Growth Group, which do business as Uncle Herb's and Alaska Herb Garden and both list Lloyd Stiassny as designated licensee, hold five. Catalyst Retail and Catalyst Cultivation, both listing William Schneider, hold four for Catalyst Cannabis Company.

The state Marijuana Control Board must take up any renewal that draws a local protest, a violation notice or a public objection filed within 30 days of the notice. The board upholds a local protest unless it finds it arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.