On Tuesday, Alaska’s voters rejected two ballot measures aimed at closing down cannabis businesses in the state’s major cannabis growing areas: the city of Fairbanks and the rural areas of the Kenai Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage.

The measures were rejected by about 70 percent of the voters.

The state passed a voter initiative legalizing the social use of the drug in 2014, but local governments could ban cannabis businesses within their borders.

Amy Jackman, campaign manager for ‘Keep Cannabis Legal,’ said she is happy to know that the current 100 plus employees are going to keep their jobs, and there will soon be more employment opportunities. She added families will not lose their savings and livelihoods.

If the measures had been approved, they would have forced cannabis growers and retail stores to close within 90 days. Being Alaska’s biggest cannabis growing areas, a successful ban would have created problems for other retail stores needing product.

“We’re disappointed, but at the same time our purpose for these initiatives on the ballot was to give the voters a chance to make this decision and not have it made by our local government. So in that sense, it’s a success,” James Ostlind, chairman of the initiative group supporting bans in Fairbanks and surrounding unincorporated communities.

According to Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly, part of the next initiative will potentially involve posing limits on the number of cannabis businesses in the city of Fairbanks.

“We can limit the number of licenses that we issue, just like the bars,” he said. “We don’t want one on every corner.”