New campaign files 2022 ballot measure to legalize cannabis

Last update: April 11, 2022

In April, a committee of 25 North Dakotans filed a statutory ballot initiative petition to legalize cannabis for adults. The New Approach North Dakota campaign must gather more than 15,582 valid signatures by July 11 to qualify the measure for the November 2022 ballot.

If approved by a majority of voters later this year, the measure would:

• Allow adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis and cultivate up to three plants in their homes;
• Establish retail cannabis stores, product manufacturers, testing laboratories, and other types of cannabis businesses; and
• Direct regulators to establish rules and implement the adult-use cannabis program by October 1, 2023.

The full text of the initiative language can be found at www.NewApproachND.org/measure.

If you live in North Dakota, please get involved as a volunteer. The campaign is also hiring full-time and part-time petition circulators. Potential applicants are encouraged to apply through the campaign’s website.

Be sure to sign up for email alerts on the New Approach North Dakota website to follow their progress. 

North Dakota becomes 25th state to eliminate jail time for low-level marijuana possession!

With Gov. Doug Burgum’s signature on House Bill 1050, North Dakota removed jail time penalties for adults 21 and older who possess up to half an ounce of marijuana in May 2019. The final legislation was the product of a conference committee made up of members from the House and Senate of North Dakota’s Republican-controlled state legislature.

North Dakota’s new law went into effect on August 1 last year. It reclassifies possession of up to a half ounce of marijuana as an infraction punishable by no jail time and a maximum fine of $1,000. Previously, it was a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail in addition to a fine. The bill also reclassifies penalties for possession offenses involving amounts greater than a half ounce, and it calls on the Legislative Assembly to study adult-use legalization. A detailed summary of HB 1050 is available here.

Take action

 
Speak out: Please take a moment to send a letter to your legislators asking them to end marijuana prohibition entirely.

Stay connected: To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy reform in North Dakota, be sure to subscribe to MPP’s email alerts.