Photos: Marijuana clubs in Anchorage and Wasilla

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

Comedian and entertainer Kelly Lee Williams smokes a pipe before the start of the comedy show he emceed at Pot Luck Events. Pot Luck Events hosted a comedy show at their location on 3rd Avenue in Anchorage on July 1, 2015. The club describes itself as a marijuana-friendly private club.

Judging by the scene at Pot Luck Events on Wednesday night, one would never guess that the state has advised the club to shut down. Members had come to the downtown Anchorage marijuana social club to smoke, take dab hits and watch the "Chronic Comedy Show" while eating free candy provided at the non-alcoholic bar. "Bud of the week" samples -- provided by growers, not the club, owner Theresa Collins explained -- were displayed on a table in the back of the room.

Yet the club, which has been open since March, is one of six businesses that have received cease-and-desist letters from Cynthia Franklin, director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and the newly created Marijuana Control Board, in late June.

Two of the letters went to marijuana delivery services -- Discreet Deliveries and Absolutely Chronic Delivery Company -- and four were sent to social clubs: the Alaska Cannabis Club, Green Rush Events, Northern Heights and Pot Luck.

These social clubs have different models, although the basic premise is simple: People pay a membership fee to gain access to the space. They bring their own marijuana and, once inside, are free to smoke their own and share with others. Some clubs have free marijuana available; others don't.

By defining themselves as members-only clubs, the businesses say that their patrons are no longer in a public space and are thus not breaking the law against consuming marijuana in public. No marijuana is ever bought or sold, the clubs say.

Read more: State takes aim at marijuana social clubs