Midterm Elections

North Dakota Rejects Legalizing Recreational Marijuana

Voters in the state didn't pass an initiative to let adults buy, use and distribute the drug.

North Dakota Rejects Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
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Voters in North Dakota shot down an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. 

The measure would've made it legal for people 21 and older to buy, use and distribute marijuana. Forms of the drug would've been removed from the state's list of Schedule I controlled substances. 

It would have expunged the criminal records of people with past non-violent cannabis convictions, and create an appeals process for those who claim their record wasn't expunged properly. 

But unlike other states' initiatives, North Dakota's legislation wouldn't have placed any limits on the amount of marijuana a person can possess, or the number of marijuana plants they can grow at home. 

And North Dakota wouldn't have benefited financially from legalizing the drug. That's because the initiative wouldn't have regulated sales or created a marijuana tax law. State officials estimated the measure would've cost millions of dollars to implement. 

North Dakota is still setting up a medical marijuana system that voters approved back in 2016.