North Dakota will vote on cannabis legalization in November

The great thaw in the north continues, my friends.

Today, August 15, North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger announced that a legalization measure for adult use of cannabis will appear on the state’s November ballot.

The announcement caps a hasty campaign led by New Approach North Dakota (New Approach ND) to put legalization on the 2022 ballot. Although the group had less than three months to gather the required 16,000 signatures — 2% of the state’s population — it submitted nearly 26,000 in July. According to a press release from New Approach ND, state officials believed more than 23,000 of the signatures were valid.

“We are proud of our petitioners and volunteers across the state who have worked diligently to ensure the people of North Dakota can vote on this important issue,” Dave Owen, chairman of New Approach ND, told Forum News Service .

What’s in the initiative?

If passed, the measure would do the following:

• Legalize possession of up to one ounce of cannabis, four grams of cannabis concentrate and up to 500 milligrams of edibles
• Allow adults to grow three plants at home. The state would have to create a market for retailers and manufacturers and establish testing and tracking procedures.
• Create a regulatory framework for the program
• Ban public consumption
• Require government-certified labs to test all cannabis flower and products before they hit shelves

The measure does not require or facilitate the erasure of criminal records of non-violent offenders.

“North Dakota has long had one of the highest marijuana arrest rates in the nation, despite having one of the lowest reported marijuana users of any state,” noted NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri in a press release sent out earlier today. “Not only will legalization bring justice to thousands of North Dakotans, it will create a new, booming industry that will benefit local businesses and the myriad family businesses in the state.”

Related

Election 2022: Election Guide to Marijuana Legalization

If it doesn’t work at first…

This August’s success of New Approach ND follows a failed campaign in 2018, also helmed by Owen.

The new measure reads very similar to a legalization measure passed by the North Dakota House of Representatives last year; That bill died in the State Senate.

North Dakota voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2016, but the products didn’t become available for purchase until 2019.

This November, South Dakota residents will similarly vote on adult use of marijuana, while North Dakota’s western neighbor, Montana, legalized adult use in 2020.

Arkansas, Maryland and Missouri residents will also vote on legalization measures for adult use in November. Oklahoma officials continue to verify signatures for an adult use measure.

Related

North Dakota Marijuana Laws

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any author on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled people. He is the co-host of the Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

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