HB 1420, the House cannabis legalization bill which barely passed at the end of February, now heads to the Senate in North Dakota. Yesterday, March 15, the Senate Human Services committee listened to positive, negative, and neutral testimony for this legalization bill.
HB 1420
Under HB 1420, citizens 21 and over can purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana at any time. This alines with the many states who have legalized recreational use, or are currently considering it through legislation.
One of the biggest differences between other states’ bills and North Dakota’s is home cultivation is not allowed at all. Many other states allow citizens to have a small range of plants in their possession at one time. Both mature and immature plants are allowed in other states currently seeking legislative approval. Such as Hawaii and Virginia. But North Dakota is not moving on that front. They will continue to keep home cultivation illegal if the bill passes.
Lawmaker Push
Many lawmakers in North Dakota would like to keep marijuana prohibition in place. However, they know that reform is coming, and they want to be on top of that. Representative Jason Dockter (R), the lead sponsor of HB 1420, stated that he “want[s] to be proactive…a lot of times, we’re reactive in government.” He added that there’s a need “to have the regulations that makes [legalization] as safe and as restrictive as possible.” His bill aims to do that. “If we don’t do it now, it’s going to come through an initiated measure.”
One initiated measure going around lately is South Dakota’s IM 26. Voters approved this measure by 70 percent to legalize medical marijuana in the state. For weeks lawmakers looked into pushing back the start date, but that ultimately failed. This leaves IM 26 to go into effect July 1, 2021 as written by activists. North Dakota lawmakers don’t want to experience the same thing.
“I’ve said several times I’ve never smoked marijuana. I don’t believe in marijuana. But I also believe that I’d rather have us have good legislation than to put it in the Constitution,” Representative Dockter opened up to the Senate Committee. “I believe it’s the job of our lawmakers to have good policy, even if you don’t agree with what the topic that the bill has in it.”
Moving Forward
The Senate Human Services Committee did not hold a vote on HB 1420 the day it heard testimony. There is no current date set for a vote. If it passes, then HB 1420 will move on to a full Senate chamber vote. If it passes there, then it is off to Governor Doug Burgum (R) for a final approval or veto. Governor Burgum has not made a public statement about his thoughts toward HB 1420. We can’t predict how he will vote should this bill come across his desk.
This is a developing situation. As more information becomes available about cannabis legalization in North Dakota, we will update you with the latest. Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.