Petition for Recreational Marijuana Use in ND Reaches 11,000 Signatures
A petition currently in circulation needs approximately 2,500 signatures to fulfill the required amount for a measure to be placed on the November ballot for legalizing recreational marijuana use.
According to the North Dakota Secretary of State's office, 13,452 signatures are needed for the measure to go on the November ballot. The petition proposes full legalization of marijuana for anyone 21 or older to use, possess, grow, and distribute. The petition also calls for anyone previously convicted of any marijuana-related crimes to have their records expunged 30 days after passage of the measure.
The sponsoring committee chair for the petition, David Owen, expects the petition to have anywhere from 16,000 to 20,000 signatures by early July when the petition needs to be submitted.
Last year, full legalization of marijuana failed to earn the required signatures needed, despite the fact that North Dakota voters approved the use of medicinal marijuana.
The delays in the implementation of medical marijuana in North Dakota could also factor in. Owen said in an interview with The Bismarck Tribune that people still aren't getting their medicine. Should the petition get voted into law, it's certainly an option of fixing that.