By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
An initiative that was circulated by LegalizeND in North Dakota has officially qualified for the November 9 ballot. More than the required number of valid signatures were confirmed by the Secretary of State’s office Monday.
“We applaud the hard work and dedication from the campaign and countless volunteers on the ground in North Dakota who went door to door and out into their communities to gather the signatures required to put this on the ballot in November,” said NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri in a statement regarding the initiative. “Marijuana legalization is no longer a regional or partisan issue, with well over sixty percent of all Americans support ending our nation’s failed prohibition.”
“And I expect North Dakota voters to send shockwaves across the country this fall when they join the growing contingent of states who have chosen the sensible path of legalization and regulation over prohibition and incarceration,” he said.
As written, the law would remove all forms of cannabis and related paraphernalia from the state’s list of Schedule I controlled substances and eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana cultivation, use, and marketing.
In addition to legalizing cannabis for adults, the measure also outlines a three-step plan for the expungement of criminal records relating to marijuana.
The state would first look to see who is in prison for marijuana offenses that are applicable under the new law. After a prisoner’s release, the state would have thirty days to expunge their records.
The final step requires the state to notify the former inmate via certified mail that their record has been cleared of the offense. If the state fails to complete the entire process, the individual wins the right to appeal and sue the state for monetary damages, eliminating the state’s expungement case immunity.
Currently, North Dakota and Michigan are voting on recreational cannabis measures in November, and Utah voters will weigh in on medicinal marijuana access.
