Recreational marijuana heads to November ballot in North Dakota [View all]
Source: Nebraska Examiner
By: Michael Achterling - August 12, 2024 5:42 pm
North Dakota voters will decide the fate of recreational marijuana for the third time since 2018 after the Secretary of State’s Office approved the measure for the November ballot.
The office announced Monday it has verified nearly 19,000 of the more than 22,000 signatures submitted to the office. A total of 15,582 signatures were needed to qualify for the ballot.
“It’s just an exciting day for North Dakota … economically, from a law enforcement perspective and a judicial perspective,” said Steve Bakken, chair of the measure’s sponsoring committee.
Of the more than 3,000 signatures rejected by the office, more than 1,300 were rejected for inadequate signatures; more than 900 had an address omission; about 120 contained no date; and about 100 contained an out-of-state address.
Signatures were solicited outside the Fargodome on June 7, 2024, for a petition to put legalized marijuana to a statewide vote. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/12/recreational-marijuana-heads-to-november-ballot-in-north-dakota/
Measure 5
The recreational marijuana ballot initiative will be Measure 5 on the general election ballot. The statutory title will be:
The initiated measure would create a new chapter of the North Dakota Century Code. It would allow for the production, processing, and sale of cannabis and the possession and use of various forms of cannabis by individuals who are 21 years of age and older; direct a state entity to regulate and register adult use cannabis production businesses, dispensaries, and their agents; provide protections for individuals who are 21 years of age or older who use cannabis; provide penalties for violations of the chapter; preserve certain employer rights regarding use of cannabis products by employees; supersede local ordinances that otherwise would prohibit the purchase, sale, use, delivery, or growing of cannabis by or to individuals 21 years of age or older; and provide that fees must be appropriated for administration of this chapter.