North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program

What is the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program?

The North Dakota Medical Marijuana was established pursuant to the state's Compassionate Care Act to cater to patients who need marijuana to treat their conditions. Under the program, patients aged 19 or older can apply for inclusion in the program, while minors can still access marijuana if they designate adult caregivers who are approved by the state. Note that caregivers must be 21 or older and have no convictions for a felony offense. Patients with qualifying conditions can enroll for inclusion in the program at any time of the year.

The Department of Health and Human Services, via its medical marijuana division, oversees the medical marijuana program in the state. The Department also creates a medical marijuana registry to maintain the names and medical marijuana records of registered patients under the medical marijuana program. Participants in the North Dakota medical marijuana program are issued registry identification cards for identification purposes. The registry ID cards may be used as legal proof of possessing medical marijuana when quizzed by law enforcement.

How Old to Join North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program?

To be registered as an adult participant under the North Dakota medical marijuana program, you must be 19 or older. Minors under 19 may participate in the program by designating caregivers who must be approved by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.

When a minor patient turns 19, they can keep the minor registry identification card until its expiration date or complete a non-minor patient application. Keeping the existing registry ID card would limit the patient to pediatric products only and would still require the patient to have a designated caregiver to purchase medical marijuana products on their behalf.

North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program Qualifying Conditions

Under NDCC 19-24.1, the following are approved debilitating medical conditions that may be treated with marijuana under the state's medical marijuana program:

• A terminal Illness
• Agitation of Alzheimer's Disease or related Dementia
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Anxiety Disorder
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Brain Injury
• Crohn's Disease
• Cancer
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
• Endometriosis
• Decompensated Cirrhosis caused by Hepatitis C
• Fibromyalgia
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Positive Status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• Migraine
• Interstitial Cystitis
• Neuropathy
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Spinal Stenosis or chronic back pain, including neuropathies or damage to the spinal cord's nervous tissue with an objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
• Tourette Syndrome
• A chronic or debilitating condition or treatment producing one or more of the following:
• Wasting syndrome or cachexia
• Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those related to multiple sclerosis
• Severe debilitating pain not responding to prescribed medication or surgery for more than three months or for which other treatment options produced severe adverse effects
• Seizures
• Intractable nausea

What Practitioners are Eligible to Recommend the Use of Medical Cannabis?

The following categories of healthcare providers are permitted to recommend medical cannabis in the state:

• Physician
• Physician Assistants
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Must a Practitioner Obtain a License Before Issuing a Medical Card Recommendation?

Yes, a physician and physician assistant issuing a medical cannabis recommendation must have an active license issued by the North Dakota Board of Medicine. An APRN issuing medical cannabis recommendation must have an active license issued by the North Dakota Board of Nursing.

Do Physicians Need to Manage Patients Before Recommending Them for the North Dakota Medical Cannabis Program?

Per North Dakota medical marijuana rules, a patient must be under the provider's continued care for the debilitating medical condition that qualifies the patient for medical marijuana use before the physician, physician assistant, or APRN can issue a medical cannabis certification.

Do Physicians Have to Join the North Dakota Medical Cannabis Program to Recommend Medical Marijuana to Patients?

Yes. Healthcare providers are required to create an account in the North Dakota medical cannabis registration system and complete a healthcare provider account registration in order to be able to issue medical cannabis recommendations.

Can a North Dakota Medical Cannabis Program Practitioner Use Telemedicine for Patient Assessment?

Yes, a healthcare provider may use telemedicine to evaluate whether a patient is eligible to use medical cannabis. According to the North Dakota Administrative Code, a patient evaluation or examination can be done entirely via telemedicine if the processes involved are equivalent to those of an in-person examination.

How to Find North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program Doctors

North Dakota healthcare providers reserve the right to determine whether or not they want to participate in the North Dakota medical marijuana program. Hence, not all healthcare providers in the state issue medical cannabis recommendations. To find a provider who issues medical cannabis recommendations, discuss with your primary healthcare provider or any specialty provider if they are authorized to issue medical marijuana certifications. If they are not, you may ask them for recommendations.

How to Apply for the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program

To join the North Dakota medical marijuana program, you must create an online account on the program's registration system. On your account, you will be required to provide personal information such as your name, date of birth, phone number, and address. You must also provide a copy of your North Dakota driver's license or another State of North Dakota ID, your passport-style photograph, and your certifying physician's name and email address. Other required documentation include a medical release of information documentation and the written certification completed by your healthcare provider.

An application fee of $25 must be paid by credit card, debit card, or electronic check. If you are submitting your payment by mail, you may use a cashier's check, check, or money order made payable to the NDDHHS; MM Program. The application barcode number must be included on the payment to ensure payment gets posted to the appropriate account.

Once the application is submitted and received by the NDDHHS, it will be reviewed and approved (if complete and correct) within 4 weeks. For more information on how to join the North Dakota medical marijuana program, see the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Patients page of the NDDHHS website or contact the medical marijuana program at:

NDDoH, Division of Medical Marijuana 600 East Blvd Ave, Dept 301 Bismarck, ND 58505 Phone: (701) 328-1311