US (AK): No 'Alaska Grown' labels on local marijuana

The "Alaska Grown" label has long been touted as a boost for local agriculture. The iconic logo is stamped on products produced around the state – everything from hot sauce to peonies to potatoes – to promote local Alaska businesses.

So why won't you see the label on marijuana?

One of the hallmarks of commercial marijuana in the state is accountability – each cannabis plant is tagged and traced from seedling to sale. Strict rules around ownership means businesses are Alaska-run.

It's "one of the only crops that is grown here and sold here and stays here," said Tara Bass, owner of The Remedy Shoppe in Skagway, a marijuana retail store.

Bass applied for the Alaska Grown label, housed under the Division of Agriculture, a few months back. Two other marijuana businesses did too, although one has since withdrawn its application.

Those applications are on hold, said Johanna Herron, market access and food safety manager with the Division of Agriculture, which oversees the Alaska Grown program.

Don't expect them to be approved anytime soon.

"We receive so many federal funds, we wouldn't want to jeopardize those," Herron said.

Read more at Alaska Dispatch News