The Northern Mariana Islands: from prohibition to full legalization

The archipelago of the Northern Mariana Islands, located in the Philippine Sea, is a U.S. territory or, more precisely, an associated state with the status of an unincorporated organized territory. Its political system is based on the American model. The deputies of the House of Representatives have just approved by 18 votes to 1, with one abstention, a law aimed at legalizing recreational and medical cannabis, as well as industrial hemp.

The path of the law

Last May, the Senate had already approved a similar law which had met with some success in the House of Representatives before being rejected as unconstitutional, as it did not conform to the procedure which requires that laws which have the effect of generating new sources of revenue for the State must be prepared by the House of Representatives and not the Senate. With this in mind, the House of Representatives first amended the text of the law and then, in effect, proposed its own version.

This is a reintroduction of the law, but no substantial changes have been made, so Senate approval, the next step in the law's journey, should be a matter of course. Once this is done, all that's missing is Governor Ralph D.L.G. Torres« signature to turn the proposal into law. However, the governor seems to be a little less progressive, declaring himself »concerned about public health issues". Nevertheless, he insured I'm all for it, but I have my concerns«.

For their part, the initiators of the reform said, «The people of the CNMI recognize that cannabis prohibition has been terribly misguided and harmful, and our leaders are in line with public sentiment on this issue.» NORML applauds the initiative: «Legislators and people in the CNMI are on the verge of making history, and more U.S. lawmakers would be wise to take notice before the general election,» said Justin Strekal, Political Director.

The content of the law

If the proposal becomes law, it will be the first time an American territory has gone from prohibition to total legalization of all uses of cannabis, and the second time, after the United States, that it has done so. Vermont, The initiative comes from legislators, not voters.

The law establishes a nine-member committee called the Commission du Mariana Cannabis of the North and whose task will be to oversee the various categories of businesses linked to the new market, from production to testing to sales. Criminal records related to cannabis offenses will not be able to impede access to licenses, provided they are more than 10 years old.

Medical cannabis will be available to patients of any age, provided they are suffering from one of the qualifying conditions and have a prescription from a doctor. The law also authorizes the possession of cannabis for recreational purposes, but only by adults over the age of 21. It also creates a register, the Homegrown Marijuana Registry, which lists adults and patients wishing to engage in self-cultivation. Under this law, they will be authorized to grow six mature plants and 12 immature plants per household.