North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, formally announcing his candidacy on June 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
The governor has approved several marijuana policy reforms at the state level, though he\u2019s stopped short of embracing adult-use legalization and opposed ballot initiatives to enact such a system in his state.<\/p>\n
Among the bills that Burgum has signed during his tenure are ones to decriminalize simple possession, increase allowable THC limits for medical cannabis and allow people in hospice care to self-certify as medical marijuana patients. He\u2019s also called for congressional reform to decriminalize cannabis and resolve the state-federal conflict on marijuana banking.<\/p>\n
Also, the candidate has touted marijuana-related pardons that he\u2019s issued after personally reviewing people\u2019s records.<\/p>\n
While he\u2019s been willing to sign reform bills, he also approved legislation to scale back protections in the state\u2019s medical cannabis program\u2014including the elimination of a policy allowing patients to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes.<\/p>\n
Burgum\u2019s competitors for the GOP nomination include\u00a0former President Donald Trump<\/a>,\u00a0Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)<\/a>, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)<\/a>, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)<\/a>,\u00a0former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum stands on marijuana:<\/strong><\/p>\n The governor signed legislation in 2019 that decriminalized low-level marijuana possession<\/a> in North Dakota, making it so first-time offenders caught possessing half an ounce or less of cannabis are subject to a fine of up to $1,000 without the thread of jail time.<\/p>\n In March 2023, Burgum approved a bill allowing patients admitted to hospice care to self-certify as medical marijuana patients<\/a>. Under the law, terminally ill patients are able to use proof of their admittance in hospice care in lieu of a doctor\u2019s written recommendation to register as a medical cannabis patient.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also made a point of promoting executive pardons that he\u2019s issued following the enactment of decriminalization. In 2020, for example, he granted relief to 16 people with prior cannabis convictions who submitted summary pardon applications under a streamlined process that was established by the state\u2019s Pardon Advisory Board.<\/p>\n Approved 16 pardons today for low-level marijuana offenses through a new, streamlined process. By removing the stigma of these minor offenses, we can offer people a second chance at a healthy, productive life & help address our state\u2019s workforce shortage. https:\/\/t.co\/bxoAdr9a72<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Gov. Doug Burgum (@GovDougBurgum) January 17, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cThese pardons are consistent with our recent efforts with the Legislature to reduce the penalties for low-level marijuana offenses and eliminate barriers to employment created by often distant past offenses, as well as with our approach of treating addiction like the disease that it is,\u201d Burgum said<\/a>. \u201cBy removing the stigma of these minor offenses, we can offer individuals a second chance at a successful, healthy and productive life and help address our state\u2019s workforce shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery recommended pardon is carefully reviewed with a strong focus on public safety and victims\u2019 rights to ensure that the pardon is solving a problem for an individual and not creating one for society,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n He pardoned<\/a> 24 more people with cannabis convictions on their records in November 2020. A spokesperson told<\/a> The Associated Press that the governor \u201cpersonally reviews each recommendation very carefully\u201d from the board, and it\u2019s a \u201cresponsibility he takes very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the restructuring of the state\u2019s medical cannabis program under a bill he signed, the governor in 2021 sought<\/a> applicants to serve on North Dakota\u2019s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board.<\/p>\n \u201cYour leadership and commitment of time, energy and talent has contributed to the Board\u2019s progress and successes,\u201d Burgum said in a letter to board members who were statutorily obligated to resign under the revised law. \u201cThe Board\u2019s foundational work was integral to establishing a medical marijuana program with sound and reasonable guidelines and will impact the lives of North Dakotans for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2019, he signed HB 1283, which eased<\/a> restrictions on participation in the program, including by allowing military veterans to use diagnoses from the federal U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in lieu of a doctor\u2019s recommendation to qualify as a medical cannabis patient in the state.<\/p>\n Burgum also approved legislation<\/a> in 2023 that allowed certain patients to purchase up to six ounces of cannabis in a 30-day period and possess up to 7.5 ounces at one time in their residence.<\/p>\n In 2021, he signed off on a hemp bill that included regulations for delta-8 THC products that legislators said was intended to prevent sales of items with high concentrations of the cannabinoid.<\/p>\n Also that year, the governor signed a measure<\/a> that united the state\u2019s health and human services departments into one entity, which also included incorporating the health agency\u2019s medical marijuana division.<\/p>\n He signed legislation in 2021 that eliminated a $50 application fee for medical cannabis caregivers, expanded the number of patients that caregivers could work with and revised the members of the state Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. He touted<\/a> that bill in a roundup of accomplishments at the end of that year\u2019s legislative session.<\/p>\n Amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Burgum issued<\/a> an executive order that outlined the types of businesses that would need to suspend certain operations and those that could continue to stay open, with medical cannabis dispensaries being able to continue serving patients.<\/p>\n To the disappointment of certain advocates, however, Burgum signed legislation<\/a> in 2017 that revised the state\u2019s medical cannabis program in several ways, including the elimination of a home cultivation right for patients.<\/p>\n It does not appear that Burgum has publicly commented on marijuana policy issues since announcing his candidacy.<\/p>\n While Burgum has said that he doesn\u2019t want to see \u201cfull, unfettered legalization of recreational marijuana,\u201d he described a 2022 adult-use legalization ballot measure<\/a> that voters ultimately rejected as \u201cvery reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n He was less open to an earlier cannabis measure in 2018, encouraging<\/a> voters to \u201ceducate themselves on the specific wording and far-reaching implications of all ballot measures.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor has also said that he wants to see congressional lawmakers move to decriminalize marijuana and that federal cannabis banking reform legislation \u201cseems way overdue.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs long as there\u2019s prohibitions on anyone banking from the cannabis industry in the banking system, it\u2019s just absolutely creating a moral hazard that you\u2019re creating a cash economy around all the things that go on,\u201d he said, adding that he \u201cabsolutely\u201d aligns himself with members of Congress who are working to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n In 2019, Burgum spoke with the head of the state\u2019s health department about its work implementing North Dakota\u2019s medical cannabis program under a 2016 voter-approved initiative, thanking the office for \u201cboth the speed and the care that your team has delivered in in getting us to where we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n The governor remarked that he\u2019s personally met with people who\u2019ve \u201csought and found real relief\u201d with medical marijuana.<\/p>\n On the latest episode of the podcast, State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte joins us to discuss the medical marijuana program, child immunizations and some of the other ways in which the @NDDOH is supporting healthy lives for all North Dakotans. Check it out! https:\/\/t.co\/LXdjXdAntW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Gov. Doug Burgum (@GovDougBurgum) July 15, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n A spokesperson for Burgum also affirmed<\/a> in 2018 that the governor supported legislative efforts to decriminalize marijuana after an effort to legalize for adult use fell short.<\/p>\n Burgum has generally criticized drug criminalization, saying in February 2023 that the drug war \u201ccan become a war on people who have a health issue.\u201d<\/p>\n North Dakota takes the approach that \u201cif you’re going to have a war on drugs\u2026it can become a war on people who have a health issue\u201d Gov. @DougBurgum<\/a>\u00a0tells @margbrennan<\/a>. We have to understand \u201cthat if people have the disease of addiction, it’s not a moral choice or a failure.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/vaFgWYj7PW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 12, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n He added that \u201cif people have the disease of addiction, it\u2019s not a moral choice or a failure.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2019, the governor touted<\/a> the expansion of the state\u2019s medical cannabis program as an example of the \u201cprogress\u201d of citizen-focused agencies.<\/p>\n It does not appear that Burgum has publicly commented about any personal experience with cannabis.<\/p>\n Burgum has voiced support for federal cannabis reform, from banking to decriminalization. While he\u2019s expressed opposition to some state-level legalization models proposed by activists at the ballot, he called the latest iteration \u201cvery reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n While Burgum has signed a number of bills that expanded the state\u2019s medical cannabis program, he\u2019s faced criticism from certain advocates for also approving legislation that removed what\u2019s considered a critical right to home cultivation for patients.<\/p>\n All told, the governor has one of the more established cannabis policy records among GOP contenders for the party\u2019s presidential nomination. And many of the actions he\u2019s taken as governor have favored reform, even if he didn\u2019t proactively advocate for each of the policy changes\u2014indicating that he would be likely to sign cannabis reform bills if sent to his desk by Congress, though it\u2019s not clear to what extent a Burgum administration would actively champion reform.<\/p>\n Where Presidential Candidate Chris Christie Stands On Marijuana<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Where Presidential Candidate Doug Burgum Stands On Marijuana<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, formally announcing his candidacy on June 7, 2023. The governor has approved several marijuana policy reforms at the state level, though he\u2019s stopped short of embracing adult-use legalization and opposed ballot initiatives to enact such aContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66513"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66514,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66513\/revisions\/66514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Legislation And Policy Actions<\/h2>\n
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On The Campaign Trail<\/h2>\n
Previous Quotes And Social Media Posts<\/h2>\n
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Personal Experience With Marijuana<\/h2>\n
Marijuana Under A Burgum Presidency<\/h2>\n
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\nRead More: Where Presidential Candidate Doug Burgum Stands On Marijuana<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"