Counties Join in Opposing Legalization of Recreational Marijuana

North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo) is part of a newly formed statewide group assembled to fight passage of recreational marijuana in the fall election. The board of directors of the North Dakota County Commissioners Association (NDCCA) and the NDACo Board both adopted resolutions to oppose Measure 3. Their action follows the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association. NDACo delegates will discuss this issue at the NDACo Annual Conference.

The committee, North Dakotans Against the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana, announced its formation Thursday, September 6^th in Fargo and Bismarck. The committee is made up of representatives from business, health and law enforcement organizations. Former District Judge and Attorney General Bob Wefald is the chairman of the committee.

“We intend to do everything we can to educate North Dakota voters as to the many problems this measure will bring to our beloved state of North Dakota. Most importantly the measure to allow recreational marijuana will create bad law,” said Wefald.

“If you read and analyze the measure, as it is written, you will understand that if it passes it would make North Dakota the most liberal state for the regulation and control of marijuana,” commented Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

Five of the top concerns if Measure 3 passes are:

• Laws prohibiting smoking marijuana in public places would be repealed. Therefore, marijuana could be used anywhere including: places of business, parks, and public buildings.  
• Measure 3 does not restrict where or how much marijuana can be grown or where it can be sold.  Your neighbor could grow pot in their entire yard. A marijuana shop could sell near a school.
• Measure 3 makes no mention of any special tax, therefore the sale of marijuana would only be subject to normal sales tax. There would be no tax structure to address the potential impact to county government.
• Measure 3 requires expungement of marijuana-related records. This would be a massive, time consuming project for the state and local government at the property tax payers expense.
• Legalization will lead to an increase in impaired drivers.

“Our role as law enforcement is to educate the public who count on us to protect them,” said Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney. “I encourage you to research this measure and be educated on it, because it should scare anyone that reads the information it contains.” Listen to Laney's comments in full here: https://youtu.be/g9sc3zcZbBY

For more information on this issue visit www.VoteNoOn3ND.com.