Legalizing Medical Marijuana in North Dakota: What’s Next?

Medical marijuana will become legal in North Dakota next month after Measure 5 passed with 62% voting yes and 36% voting no.
 
Qualified patients can be dispensed up to three ounces of marijuana to treat illnesses like cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy.

The law will allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients who suffer from any number of illnesses.
 
“They’re all serious illnesses,” said Becky Dansky, who is a memeber of the State Legislative Council. “The campaign included illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, ALS.”
 
“A sunburn’s not gonna do it, mosquito bites aren’t gonna do it, that kind of thing,” said ND Compassion Care Act 2016 co-chairman Rilie Ray Morgan.
 
People who qualify will need to pick up their medication from Compassion Centers.

Growers are allowed to operate further than 40 miles from a dispensary center and cannot harvest within 1,000 feet of a school.

They are also subject to searches by law enforcement with a 24 hour notice.
 
“Cultivation of a marijuana plant doesn’t take overnight either,” said Morgan. “It’ll probably take three to six months to raise any kinds of plant.”
 
Morgan says it may take up to a year before Compassion Centers begin dispensing medical marijuana.

He says this started as a grassroots effort with next to no budget, few volunteers and no polls to go by.

They were very surprised it passed.
 
“Just a tremendous effort by the people of the state, and we’re just so pleased and so happy with the results,” Morgan said.
 
“The people of North Dakota should be incredibly proud of what happened last night,” Dansky said.
 
Medical marijuana becomes law on December 8th, 2016.
 
The department of health will start licensing business and enrolling patients after it becomes law.