Anchorage directs $2M in marijuana tax revenue to school daycare program

Alaska's largest city allocates cannabis tax proceeds to address child care funding pressures as lawmakers debate statewide sales tax.

FILE — harvest · My 420 Tours / CC BY-SA 4.0

Anchorage has allocated $2 million in marijuana tax revenue to a school daycare program, according to reporting from alaskawatchman.com. The move appears to reflect municipal effort to channel cannabis tax proceeds toward education infrastructure and child care access.

The allocation comes amid broader fiscal pressures on Alaska child care funding. An April 2026 Anchorage Daily News report linked child care funding gaps in the city to declining marijuana sales, suggesting tax revenue from the legal cannabis market has proven volatile as a dedicated funding source. Concurrently, Alaska lawmakers have considered statewide marijuana sales tax measures—signaling ongoing debate over revenue stability and allocation at both municipal and state levels.

Watch whether Alaska's legislature advances a statewide cannabis sales tax framework, which could establish more predictable revenue streams for child care and education programs beyond Anchorage's local allocation.