North Dakota Medical Cannabis Act Amendments Continue
Voters approved the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act last November with a 65 percent voter approval and the citizen initiative was a big surprise success. However, 40 amendments later, backers are still unhappy with the results. Little by little, the state’s Legislature has wiped clean half of the bill’s applicable provisions. With edibles out of the picture and excessive restrictions on smoking cannabis, no one seems to be happy about what’s left of the state’s medical cannabis program. Cannabis advocates are claiming that the state Legislature is attempting to the circumvent the will of voters.
The bill passed by the Senate only allows patients to smoke cannabis if a physician deems that no other form of cannabis can help. That provision was removed by a House committee, however, a nurse practitioner still must recommend smoking cannabis for some illnesses. Advocates have expressed doubts as to whether any medical professional in North Dakota would be willing to recommend the smokable form of anything. Edibles and cannabis cultivation were also removed from the bill’s provisions.
Rep. Robin Weisz (R-Hurdsfield) is chairman of the House Human Services Committee, and believes that the amendments are serving the will of the people. “This is certainly a compromise,” Weisz told the Associated Press. “But the vast majority of people who voted for this are getting what they want.” The committee reportedly has refused to compromise on allowing cannabis in edible form. Some improvements have been made, however. As part of the amendments, annual fees for medical cannabis patients would be dropped from $200 to $50 and would add “terminal illness” to the list of qualifying illnesses. North Dakota’s House approved the amendments Tuesday.
The Republican-dominated Legislature rejected a broader medical cannabis bill in 2015. North Dakota natives have been among the first to support the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act. The bill now heads back to the Senate and may go on to a conference committee, where three House members and three senators will hash out the details. Medical cannabis in any form will not likely be available in North Dakota for about a year.
