State of North Dakota secondary Archives: on Drugs

Doug Burgum: Opioid epidemic threatens our way of life

Burgum: Drug abuse is skyrocketing in North Dakota. It's an epidemic that is hurting North Dakota families, employers, and taxpayers and threatening our way of life. It's past time our attorney general begins making these issues a top priority, and as governor I look forward to working with him to address this important statewide crisis. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Working together across the state, we need to invest more time, energy, and resources in prevention, and we need to treat addiction like the chronic disease that it is. As Governor, I'll work with communities, employers, and health care providers to restrict the supply of drugs like meth, fentanyl, and heroin, fight the federal reimbursement incentives that are fueling the exponential rise in the abuse of highly addictive prescription drugs, reform our corrections system, and get people the help they need.

Doug Burgum: Remove shame and stigma from the disease of addiction

In October, more than 1,200 people attended our second annual Recovery Reinvented summit in person or online--sharing best practices and further lifting the veil of shame and stigma. We're also seeing progress with Free Through Recovery--a program that provides effective, community-based behavioral health services to help those involved with the criminal justice system and struggling with addiction.

Dustin Peyer: Legalize & tax marijuana

Eliot Glassheim: Legalize medical marijuana

• "Allowable amount of cannabis" means two ounces of cannabis
• A practitioner and patient have a treatment or consulting relationship, during the course of which the practitioner has completed an assessment of the patient's medical history and current medical condition, including an in-person physical examination
• The practitioner has consulted with the patient with respect to the patient's debilitating medical condition
• Protections for the medical use of cannabis: A cardholder who possesses a valid registry identification card is not subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty

Legislative outcome:Sponsored by Glassheim; bill failed House 26-67-1

Heidi Heitkamp: Supports medical marijuana; leave recreational use to voters

Kevin Cramer (R): No. Plans to vote against it: "We don't need any more mind-altering substances on the market."

Heidi Heitkamp (D): Up to voters, some concerns on access by children. Urged administration to respect North Dakota's medical law.

John Hoeven: $4M to address meth and narcotics with more prisons

We are taking up the fight on a number of fronts. We are increasing resources for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's meth and narcotics enforcement efforts. We are also increasing resources for Drug Court, which can reclaim lives. To fight substance abuse on the elementary and high school levels, we are devoting substantial funding under the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools program.

And, to deal with the growing prison population because of meth, we are establishing a new women's prison on the campus of the state hospital in Jamestown. This facility will result in making prison beds available in our penitentiary system for both men & women offenders--and save taxpayers $22 million.

We must take the makers and dealers off the street, and we must provide law enforcement the resources to get the job done.

Kevin Cramer: No recreational marijuana; opposes ND ballot measure 3

Kevin Cramer (R): No. Plans to vote against it: "We don't need any more mind-altering substances on the market."

Heidi Heitkamp (D): Up to voters, some concerns on access by children. Urged administration to respect North Dakota's medical law.

Marvin Nelson: Invest in drug treatment, mental health, and drug courts

Nelson: Need to have treatment available and not just in a few population centers. We need to give assurance to health providers that if they invest in treatment, we aren't going to just change our minds tomorrow. We need to look at things like tele counseling, and using our critical access hospitals to deliver necessary care. Evaluation of people at all levels of the penal system for addiction by the state. Currently, mental health services are required by local jurisdictions, but they don't do it. The state needs to provide those services. We are in a horrible legal liability situation, just waiting for the lawsuits. Need to have things like drug courts dealing with first time offenders instead of requiring multiple convictions before being eligible for drug court. We can't afford to wait until people are sent to the state penitentiary to evaluate and deal with their addictions.

Marvin Nelson: Legalize medical marijuana

• "Allowable amount of cannabis" means two ounces of cannabis
• A practitioner and patient have a treatment or consulting relationship, during the course of which the practitioner has completed an assessment of the patient's medical history and current medical condition, including an in-person physical examination
• The practitioner has consulted with the patient with respect to the patient's debilitating medical condition
• Protections for the medical use of cannabis: A cardholder who possesses a valid registry identification card is not subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty

Legislative outcome:Marvin Nelson voted YEA; bill failed House 26-67-1

Rick Becker: Supports medical marijuana and legalized pot

Stenehjem said he's spoken to attorney generals in other states where marijuana has been legalized and didn't see any positives, vowing to vote against it. "North Dakota will not be healthier or safer," Stenehjem said.

Rick Becker: Voted NO on drug testing for TANF & SNAP benefits