“Based on our triage of drug enforcement, we don’t focus a lot on marijuana,” he says. “It’s just not a priority for us.” That being said, marijuana use is a priority with the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). The national organization is committed to the legalization of the drug in all the U.S. states. “Cities are going to see an increased criminal association with marijuana because only criminals are allowed to sell it right now,” explains Morgan Fox, communications manager for the MPP. “If people in the Bakken oilfields want to stem the social cost of the oil boom, then they should support the legal use of marijuana. Many people report using marijuana as a substitute for alcohol, largely because it is known to generate far less violence and health problems. By allowing people to use the safer choice of marijuana rather than alcohol, there will be a decrease in violence and associated societal costs.” Back in November 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington officially legalized the use of marijuana by allowing anyone 21 years of age and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal purposes, as long as they do not use it in a public place. Both states are currently in the process of establishing rules to regulate the licensed cultivation and sale of the substance. According to Fox, 18 states and the District of Columbia currently allow the use of marijuana if approved for medical use and if the individual has a doctor’s recommendation. North Dakota is not one of these states but Montana is. “Montana does allow for the medical use of marijuana but unfortunately, the legislators recently made it a lot tougher for people to be able to access their medicine, so participation in the program has dwindled,” states Fox. North Dakota, on the other hand, has very harsh marijuana laws, with the first possession offense of even a single joint being punishable by up to
Mayor Butch Grenz concedes that the oil boom has resulted in an increase in people and thus, an increase in crime. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. “I think the better question would be whether it is a good trade-off and in my opinion, the answer is yes,” he states. a year in prison and up to a $2,000 fine. The state voted on a Compassionate Care legislation policy in November of last year. It needed around 13,500 signatures to qualify for a vote and a total 20,000 signatures were gathered. The opportunity to vote was quashed, however, when it was found that 11 of the petitioners allegedly faked more than 7,000 signatures. “The gateway theory has been shown to be a fallacy,” concludes MPP’s Fox. “There is nothing about marijuana that intrinsically encourages users to want to use other drugs. Prohibition is the real gateway because under current law, the only place to get marijuana is in the illicit market, where dealers have
access to hard drugs and no incentive to check a customer’s age.” More of the Same Regardless of whether or not the states of Montana and North Dakota will follow the examples set forth by Colorado and Washington, it looks like drug use in the Bakken oilfields will continue for some time to come. “My counterparts agree with me that we won’t see the situation getting any better before it gets worse,” concludes Long. “We’re so far behind right now because there has been very little federal drug or law enforcement needed up there in the past. It’s really hard for us to scramble and try to catch up.” w
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