Marijuana Activists, U.S. Attorney react to reclassification

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, recognizing its medical uses and lower potential for abuse.

The proposal would see marijuana moved from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III controlled substance, below drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine.

For Steve Bakken, chairman of New Economic Frontier who are backing a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota, this proposal is vindicating.

“Well, I think it just validates the fact that we’re on the right path and the timing is right to actually go down this road in North Dakota.”

Bakken believes that legalization efforts and proposals like this can help law enforcement agencies redirect their resources towards stopping the trafficking of more dangerous drugs.

“We are very strapped for resources when it comes to law enforcement, and the bigger issue, the bigger concerns, are the opioids, the fentanyl, and the other illicit drugs that are coming into North Dakota.”

According to U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider, the change is not expected to have much of an effect for the U.S. Attorney’s office in North Dakota.

Schneider said his office doesn’t prosecutes marijuana possession charges, in part due to pardons issued by President Joe Biden in 2022.

“So that’s different than, you know, some sort of widespread trafficking of marijuana. But those cases where a pardon has been issued, obviously we’re not going to prosecute any of those. That would be legally barred.”

Schneider says that they focus their prosecutorial resources elsewhere, primarily towards stopping the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

“We’re still going to have to make the difficult decisions about how best to apply limited prosecutorial resources and for now on, I imagine, into the intermediate future. It’s going to be focusing on the widespread distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine.”

Schneider said that his office is focused on targeting organized crime, rather than drug users themselves.

“Our priority is going after organized criminal groups who target North Dakota for distribution of dangerous drugs.”

This proposal will have less of an effect in Minnesota, where recreational marijuana is already legal.