BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – After President Donald Trump’s executive order on marijuana, North Dakota police departments say that their job hasn’t changed, and they are still focusing on protecting the public from the most dangerous crimes.
“If we come across something, we can’t just do nothing, so we will take enforcement action on that, but our primary focus is taking the more dangerous drugs off the street,” said Jason Stugelmeyer, Bismarck Police Department police chief.
On Dec. 18, President Trump signed an executive order to fast-track the reclassification of cannabis. It would pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses.
The order doesn’t legalize the drug, meaning local police will still follow state law. Officers still have discretion related to marijuana crimes. They might evaluate probable cause and whether or not to investigate further or use more department resources.
The department has made fewer marijuana arrests in recent years, in part due to more understanding about the drug, and to focus on more dangerous crimes.
As for research on the drug, that could lead to changes in how it is enforced in the future.
“Based on, you know, what they find in the research, it could be an avenue for decriminalization. Just hard to tell right now on where it’s going to land without the research,” said Stugelmeyer.
For now, Bismarck officers said their priorities remain with the most dangerous crimes—but federal research and future policy changes could eventually reshape how marijuana is handled in North Dakota. How that affects public safety, and the day-to-day work of local police, is a question that future research—and lawmakers—will decide.
Police departments in Williston, Minot and Dickinson said they similarly enforce the state laws, and are focused on prioritizing their resources.
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