North Dakota To Vote on Medical Marijuana This FallPhillip Smith Fargo, North Dakotas largest city, barely tops 100,000 people. (Wikimedia.org) They need 13,500 valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. Election officials have about a month to review the signatures and decide whether they are valid. Sponsored by North Dakotans for Compassionate Care, the initiative would allow people suffering from specified illnessesincluding cancer, glaucoma, and PTSDto use marijuana with a doctors recommendation. Patients could possess up to 2 ounces and could grow up to 12 plants in an enclosed, locked space. Designated caregivers who grow for more than one patient are limited to 30 plants. The initiative also contains provisions for cultivation, processing, and distribution centers, or dispensaries. Such medical marijuana organizations would be registered with the state. Medical marijuana has never come before the North Dakota legislature, and this is the first time a serious effort through the initiative process has been undertaken. Neighboring South Dakota is the only state to defeat an initiative legalizing medical marijuana, and has done so twice. Dave Schwartz, the groups treasurer, said he believed public attitudes about medical marijuana in North Dakota have shifted in favor of those who advocate for it. Many people know someone who has suffered from chronic pain, a debilitating illness, or cancer chemotherapy, and there is growing knowledge that marijuana can help, he told theAssociated Press. Some of the myths that we often hear is that, this is only for people to just go ahead and get high, and thats not the case, Schwartz said. This is about medical patients that would benefit greatly from it. You can support this information by voting on Reddit HERE Please visit StopTheDrugWar.org to support ending prohibition. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 