The Anchorage Assembly will vote Tuesday on an ordinance to allow licensed marijuana cafes where adults can purchase and smoke on site, aligning the city with other Alaska communities that already permit onsite consumption.

The proposal was introduced by East Anchorage Assembly member George Martinez, who said the change reflects the intent of voters when they approved recreational marijuana in 2014.

Anchorage voters rejected a similar measure in 2020 by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. But earlier this year, the state Marijuana Control Board expanded rules to allow smoking at qualifying businesses, prompting the local ordinance to align city code with state law.

“The intent here is simply to align to the original intent of where the state is now,” said Martinez. “And so the state has allowed marijuana consumption in all of its forms, up through inhalation.”

Other Alaska cities that have adopted onsite consumption include Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan. State regulators say there are currently five licensed facilities operating under the policy, including two in Fairbanks and one each in Seward, Soldotna and Ketchikan.