Dueling opinions: Should N.D. legalize recreational marijuana?

Yes: Since alcohol and tobacco are legal, so should marijuana

by Nathan Price

At the age of 26, I can probably count the number of alcoholic beverages I’ve ever had on one hand, and not once have I smoked a cigarette since turning 18.

Because of this, some have called me a “goody two-shoes,” or a “party pooper,” but since both tobacco and alcohol are more poisonous to the human body than marijuana, I simply see it as common sense.

That being said, I’ve never smoked marijuana either. It smells awful, I don’t particularly want to feel high, and I’ve never lived in a state where it can be legally acquired without a prescription.

So, it probably sounds like I plan to vote “no” on Measure 5, which would legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota.

However, I plan to vote just the opposite, and I’d encourage everyone to do the same whether they enjoy smoking marijuana or – like myself – never plan to even try it.

In a perfect world, I’d actually prefer that alcohol, tobacco and marijuana were all made illegal. They all stink, and they’re all responsible for various negative aspects of our society.

Alcohol, for example, is responsible for tens of thousands of fatalities every single year, not to mention the domestic violence it fuels every day in thousands of households worldwide.

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there are approximately 95,000 alcohol-related deaths every year in the United States – that includes approximately 10,500 drunk driving deaths, and nearly 50,000 deaths attributed to long-term health failure from drinking.

Tobacco, meanwhile, is responsible for thousands of cancer diagnoses every year, in addition to its numerous other health repercussions. Its death toll is even higher than alcohol, coming in at a staggering 360,000 deaths in 2023 alone in the United States – making it the leading cause of preventable death in the country.

And all the while, the addictive quality of both makes them incredibly difficult to turn away from once caught in their grip. Simply put, they are both deadly poisons, especially when consumed regularly and/or in large quantities.

The only difference between those poisons and the ill of marijuana, is that alcohol and tobacco have long been socially accepted. Meanwhile, most have been raised to never accept marijuana – unnecessarily lumping it in with other, far more dangerous drugs.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, no deaths from a marijuana overdose have ever been reported in any state.

Meanwhile, a study by Florida Atlantic University looked at cannabis-related deaths in the state of Florida between 2014 (when it was legalized) and 2020. They found that in those six years, 386 people died as a result of cannabis use – nearly 99% of which were from accidents caused by drug intoxication, and of those, motor vehicle accidents accounted for 14.17%.

Those numbers aren’t good, but they’re a drop in the bucket compared to the “socially accepted” poisons people consume regularly.

To suggest that marijuana shouldn’t be legal, while simultaneously enjoying a can of beer, a glass of wine or a cigarette, is in my opinion, very hypocritical.

Because if the argument against legalizing marijuana is that it's dangerous, then our time and efforts would be put to much greater effect trying to ban tobacco and alcohol, which kill exponentially more people.

We’ve done this before, of course. During the era of prohibition in the 1920s, alcohol was made illegal in the United States, only to spawn a sudden wave of smuggling, organized crime and other illegal activities ... sound familiar?

As was the case during prohibition, keeping marijuana illegal will not stop people from using it. It’s no secret that anyone who wants to get marijuana in our communities need only ask the right people.

So, if all three poisons can’t be illegal, then we may as well make the least-poisonous of them legal, as doing so comes with several benefits.

The estimated financial impact of Measure 5 for the 2025-27 biennium, according to N.D. Legislative Management, is $10,227,600 in estimated revenues and $8,324,275 in estimated expenditures – a difference of $1,903,325.

That revenue could be used for beneficial programs and projects that improve our lives and communities far more than marijuana’s negative impacts might hurt them.

Additionally, prison overcrowding and understaffing has become a massive problem in North Dakota, leading to sentencing decisions that are forced to take the availability of prison cells into account.

Not having to imprison as many people could certainly help with that.

These are just a few of the reasons I plan to vote “yes” on Measure 5, and why I believe North Dakota will be better off if most voters do the same. But of course, I encourage everyone to look into the issue themselves and come to their own conclusions.

No measure for old men

by Kim Watson

Maybe it’s my golden years speaking, but this small “L” libertarian of three decades never imagined saying, “I’m not in favor of legalizing pot.” At least, not too broadly.

It’s tough to admit I’ve actually struggled with this idea. I can’t say I know how I’ll vote in the end.

And opining against more freedom instead of for it goes against every fiber of my being.

Yet, there’s something not quite right. It could be us.

My logical self quotes all the positive things about passing Measure 5, citing statistics, feeling smug about personal freedom, and putting the onus for bad behavior and outcomes on individual choices. Those ideals always made sense to me.

But I’ll speak to Measure 5 from my heart and gut instead, as someone who reluctantly must put away childish things and consider what we have done to ourselves in my lifetime.

Our modern world is one of downward-spiraling social mores. We are increasingly apathetic toward enforcing the little ways in which we hold civilization together. We no longer stop the shoplifter. Public graffiti is called “art.” And too many people are ignored and stepped over, slumped like paper dolls with broken, drug-addled bodies. These things become a bother, or costly, or make us feel helpless.

“So sad,” we say. “Why can’t we stop it?”

I fear legalizing recreational marijuana could become another one of those bothersome things.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a committed limited-government activist, especially concerning wider state and federal attempts at control. I consider medical marijuana to be an absolute godsend for those in need. (We have it.) And decriminalization is a necessary path toward emptying our prisons of destructive consequences from the failed War on Drugs. (We’ve started.)

And I’m in favor of the people voting on it – I whole-heartedly supported the petition to get it on the ballot.

But the decade-long experiments in legalization we’ve now run in the U.S. – Colorado and Washington were the first, in 2012 – are bringing to light many public quality-of-life issues that perhaps North Dakota could avoid. Specifically, for me, it’s the smell of marijuana smoke and the normalization of being stoned.

In Colorado, 66% of municipalities have now banned sales of marijuana. Touted as an economic boon, one has to wonder about the reasons for restrictions in that pioneering state.

In June 2024, a judge in Washington, D.C. – where pot was legalized in 2015 – ruled that a renter couldn’t smoke marijuana within 25 feet of another tenant’s apartment, or within his own.

The plaintiff had been made sick from the smoke.

New York City, Denver and Colorado Springs all field constant complaints on the prevalence of the smell. Cities in Connecticut and Minnesota are banning its use in public.

Even the Dutch became concerned enough to curtail smoking pot in Amsterdam’s tourist areas. Brothels and sex clubs are fine, but the aroma of weed for 50 years was finally too much.

Would I object if Measure 5 had restricted legalization to edibles? I’m not sure. I just know the only high I ever had was second-hand contact at a university homecoming event from students several rows below. My husband and I didn’t have a chance to consent.

The response? We’ll get used to it, it’s not everywhere, it’s not that bad. With the focus on ridding public places of cigarette smoke over the last 20 years, the irony is not lost on me. And so the slow decay in quality of our public spaces continues.

Then there’s the kids.

North Dakota already has an alcohol problem. Our drinking culture tops national polls for binging, and youth realize that what adults strongly pursue is what we value. Studies consistently show North Dakota has the highest rates of underage drinking problems in the country.

Extrapolate that to recreational marijuana. If we normalize being under the influence of a substance – other than alcohol – as no big deal, even sociable, then we’d better prepare for our young people to follow suit. I’m not sure we’re ready for that conversation here.

North Dakota can be an anachronism. We’re astonished at how and why things are falling apart elsewhere and hope it doesn’t happen here. I mean, we still think vandalism is a bad thing, and mourn locking up our cars and houses at night. As the oil boom quickly showed us, inviting in the ways of the world too eagerly can have unintended consequences.

And with Measure 5, maybe just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.