The State of North Dakota has created a new, streamlined process through which those with minor marijuana-related convictions can apply for a pardon. A pardon removes the conviction from their records, which in turn would remove a barrier some face when it comes to, say, getting a job. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem is one member…
North Dakota Republican Group Votes for Making Access to Recreational Marijuana a Constitutional Right
UPDATE: NDYR state chairman Reed Christianson called me to clarify that the vote was intended as a “straw poll” and not really an endorsement. However the ballots circulated, which you can see below, describe the vote as an endorsement. It’s not clear if conference attendees felt that they were endorsing or not, but I wanted to…
North Dakota Marijuana Activist Warns Against Using Marijuana Vaping Products
Last night David Owen called me and said he wanted to speak out about the dangers of marijuana vaping products. Owen is one of the organizers behind Legalize ND, a citizen group which backed a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota last year. His group is readying another proposal for the ballot…
Prohibition Is a Crock: Americans (Probably) Spend as Much on Recreational Drugs as They Do on Booze
A newly-issued Rand Corporation report (see below) indicates that Americans spent almost $150 billion on illegal drugs in 2016. To put that into perspective, Americans spent roughly $227 billion on alcohol the same year. The two numbers are seemingly far apart, until you realize the limitations of the drugs metric. For one thing, Rand only…
Plain Talk: As Many as 175,000 North Dakota Could Seek Pardons for Marijuana Convictions
“We could be looking at upward of 175 to 179 thousand who have this issue.” That’s what Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said on this episode of Plain Talk, referring to a streamlined process to allow those with minor convictions for marijuana-related crimes to apply for pardons. Stenehjem sits on a constitutionally-established board which makes recommendations…
Ballot Measure Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in State Constitution Submitted to Secretary of State
Back in May a ballot measure, proposing an amendment to the state constitution legalizing recreational marijuana, was submitted to the Secretary of State’s office for approval to circulate. It was then withdrawn with the organizers saying they needed to fix the language. Which was a good thing because language looked like it was something slapped…
Plain Talk: Legalize ND Organizer Explains New Proposal to Make Recreational Marijuana Legal
David Owen, one of the organizers behind Legalize ND, discusses his group’s new proposal to make recreational marijuana legal in North Dakota. It’s a very different proposal, with a lot more restrictions, compared to what the group proposed during the 2018 election cycle. Owen also explained why his group is continuing to pursue expungement for…
It Would Be a Mistake for Marijuana Proponents to Try for Expungement Again
When it comes to ballot measures there’s a paradoxical political dynamic at play. When a given measure is short, and simple, the rallying cry against it is that it’s too vague. But when ballot measure committees seek to flesh out their proposals, they usually run into a real problem with trying to make more detailed…
Plain Talk: Defense Attorney Says a North Dakota Drug Testing Law Is Unconstitutional
The state Legislature requires some drug defendants to be drug tested while out on bail and awaiting trial, but this requirement has become a real problem. Defense attorney Mark Friese of the Vogel Law Firm spoke about it on this episode of Plain Talk. Some defendants can’t afford the testing, Friese said, and end up…
New Study Suggests Legal Marijuana Doesn’t Reduce Opioid Problems
Back in 2014 a study was released suggesting a strong connection between legal marijuana and decreased overdoses from opioid abuse. It looked at data from 1999 to 2010, and found that states that ended marijuana prohibition to one degree or another had an average of 25 percent lower rate of opioid overdoses. What’s more, that…