North Dakota Cannabis Legalization Initiative Approved for November Ballots

The ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis in North Dakota has qualified for the November election, the Associated Press reports.

Advocates with New Economic Frontier, the group sponsoring the legalization proposal measure, submitted more than 22,000 signatures in July. On Monday, Secretary of State Michael Howe said that officials verified nearly 19,000 signatures — more than enough to qualify the initiative for voter consideration.

If approved by voters, the proposal would legalize the personal use, possession, and cultivation of cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. The policy would also set purchasing and possession caps at one ounce of dried cannabis flower and four grams of cannabis concentrates. The rules would also set limits of 1,500 milligrams of total THC in a single product and 300 milligrams in edible form.

Burleigh County Commissioner Steve Bakken argued in the report that legalizing cannabis would free up police resources to tackle more important issues, such as fentanyl and the opioid epidemic. State Rep. Matt Ruby (R), who sat on the sponsoring committee, said “Our goal now is to educate voters on why we believe this to be a great step forward for our state.

North Dakota voters approved a medical cannabis legalization policy in 2016 but rejected an adult-use proposal 55%-46% in 2022, and voted down a similar measure 59%-41% in 2018.

“The people of North Dakota soundly rejected the idea of recreational marijuana in 2018 and 2022, but here they are again,” said Patrick Finken, who chairs the Brighter Future Alliance, an organization opposed to the reforms, the report said.