With March numbers in, Anchorage marijuana tax revenue continues to rise

Anchorage's marijuana sales taxes generated $57,000 during the month of March, a city official said Friday.

Nine shops paid taxes to the city, wrote Blyss Cruz, manager of Program Taxes & Tax Collection with Anchorage's Treasury Department. A marijuana sales tax of 5 percent was approved by Anchorage voters in April 2016.

For each of the last two months, Anchorage marijuana tax revenue has jumped by $15,000 or more. In January, the city's first full month of tax revenue, $22,000 was brought in by marijuana taxes. That increased to $37,000 in February.

The sales tax is separate from the state excise tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana bud and $15 per ounce for other parts of the plant, which the grower pays to the state treasury.

March was also the first month that the statewide marijuana excise tax revenue — which has lagged behind initial projections —  exceeded $200,000.