Changes proposed by SB 56 include raising taxes on the retail sale of cannabis products, imposing new restrictions on home-cultivation, setting an arbitrary cap on the total number of retailers allowed statewide, and providing new penalties for adults who share their cannabis with others.
“Whether or not one personally supports or opposes cannabis legalization, these cynical and undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern.”
“Legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis access is not only good policy, but it’s also good politics. State and federal politicians who continue to ignore their constituents’ sentiments on these issues do so at their own political peril.”
North Dakota voters will decide on Election Day whether to approve a citizens’ initiated ballot measure legalizing the use, home cultivation, and retail sale of cannabis.
Voters in the cities of Bastrop, Dallas, and Lockhart are expected to vote this November on municipal ballot measures halting most low-level marijuana arrests.
The proposed ordinance states: “The City’s policy shall be to make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest enforcement priority. The City shall update its relevant policies to ensure that public safety resources are not wasted on misdemeanor marijuana enforcement.”
If certified for the ballot and approved by voters in November, all three measures will prohibit local law enforcement from making low-level marijuana-related arrests.
Cannabis reform advocates in Arkansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota have turned in signatures to place citizens’-initiated measures on the 2024 ballot.