What’s different about 2022 ND marijuana vote? Money

By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The group working to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota has more than a half-million dollars to press its case.

Meanwhile, an oil industry group that helped fund opposition four years ago says it will sit on the sidelines this time. North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness says the group will not contribute money to fight the pot legalization effort because it only has “so many resources.”

Ness says one in five North Dakota jobs are directly or indirectly tied to the state’s oil industry. He says most oilfield jobs require drug testing, and legalizing pot would likely shrink the employment pool.