The state announced Tuesday (Feb. 21) a new head for the office in charge of regulating alcohol and marijuana.

Erika McConnell has worked in Anchorage’s municipal planning department for more than a decade. More recently, she wrote the city’s regulations for commercial cannabis businesses.

McConnell’s new job as director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office falls under the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Commissioner Chris Hladick said her expertise on local regulation makes McConnell an asset for state administration.

“She’s well positioned to take on management and regulatory duties of this position,” Hladick said. “She was the marijuana coordinator a while for the city, and I think that speeds up her on-boarding process as she learns the state’s regulatory structure.”

The AMCO director has a lot of influence shaping the state government’s role in Alaska’s new cannabis industry. McConnell will have a say in controversial issues like on-site consumption and the legality of certain concentrated oils. [Read more at Alaska Public Media]