Cannabis Cool HVAC needs for growing, processing, and selling marijuana.

• Author: Kay, Alexandra
• Position: ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

When Alaskans voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in 2014, opponents of the ballot initiative relied on several lines of argument. They warned of trouble hiring employees who could pass drug tests, of intoxicated driving, of use by children, and of disappointing tax revenues. What nobody talked about, pro or con, was the smell.

As the cannabis industry has grown, the distinct skunky odor (primarily caused by the chemical myrcene) has become a familiar scent, even to Alaskans who've never been in the same room as a marijuana product. Blame careless consumers allowing their private use to escape into the public space; the industry itself is subject to state and local regulations which, unlike the 2014 campaign, do take odor into consideration.

No Whiffs Allowed

Alaska's Alcohol b Marijuana Control Office requires a plan for odor control anywhere businesses allow onsite consumption. The regulations state that "a marijuana consumption area that is indoors and in which smoking is permitted must have a ventilation system that directs air from the marijuana consumption area to the outside of the building through a filtration system efficient to remove visible smoke, consistent with all applicable building codes and ordinances, and adequate to eliminate odor at the property line." To comply, businesses must invest in specialty heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems--but only if cannabis is grown or smoked there.

"Retail stores that do not have on-site grows or on-site consumption areas do not need any more HVAC systems than a normal retail store," says Brandon Richardson, owner and CEO of The Electric Company, a Wasilla-based contractor specializing in cannabis grow facilities.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some plans for on-site use have been postponed, so only a few retail locations in Alaska currently have onsite smoking. In those places, Richardson says, "This will also require barriers between the retail side and the onsite consumption side to meet local laws."

Where marijuana is grown, owners must make sure the facility "does not emit an odor that is detectable by the public from outside the cultivation facility except as specifically allowed by a local government approval," according to regulations.

Compared to a retail shop, for a grow operation "the design criteria and requirements are very different," says Curtis Holeman, senior sales engineer at Long Building Technologies. "The grow wants to...