Nearly 70 percent of voters in North Dakota approved the medical marijuana program in November 2020. And after the Initiated Measure 26, the IM 26 expected the Department of Health to create a regulatory framework within 120 days, or by Oct. 29, 2021. After that, the patient’s MMJ card should reach them within 140 days or by Nov. 18, 2021. 

North Dakota allows applicants to apply for the MMJ card online. So, if you’re a qualifying patient or caregiver, you can access all the forms you need from the health department website. 

So, is it as hard to acquire an MMJ card in North Dakota? No, it’s not. It’s a fairly straightforward process that any qualifying individual can easily handle. Let’s see what it takes below:

Applicant’s Requirements

If you feel like having access to the medical weed will help you, that means you’re suffering from a particular condition. But it doesn’t permit everyone who feels like trying the dope. Every state that has allowed the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes has a list of qualifying conditions, and that’s not different from North Dakota. So, you need to check what you have if it’s on this list. We shall run that down for you later.

1. Patients applying for the MMJ card must be nineteen (19) years or more. In other states, they ask for 18yrs.
2. Patients under age must designate a parent or a legal guardian. The state will run a criminal background to the caregiver to check if they have any felony convictions. 
3. An applicant must be a legal resident of NK.
4. A patient must get a certified doctor’s evaluation, despite their apparent condition. Find A Certified Physician 
5. A physician must first diagnose a patient with one of NK qualifying conditions. 
6. A patient must register the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Patient Registry in the patient’s registry by applying with the same. 
7. Applicants must pay a processing fee for the MMJ card of $50.00. 

Essential Documents Needed

• An identification card issued by the North Dakota to prove your legal residency
• A driver’s license can be an option if you don’t have an ID.
• Get a birth certificate for the minor. A parent or guardian will need to have this.
• Get a written certification from a licensed- health care provider.

Physician’s Recommendation

According to the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act Measure 5, patients with a doctor’s recommendation can possess and use medical cannabis. A patient is supposed to get this from a physician with whom he has a bona fide relationship. He will examine if the patient is not responding to traditional medication and recommend cannabis treatment as an option. And before the patient leaves, he will sign a recommendation and give it for card application. 

Application

With your doctor’s approval, you can make your application online. Then you have to send the documents we mentioned above as proof of your identity and residency. 

Card Application Fee

Before, the original measure had called for a $200 fee, but it went down to a more affordable amount of $50. After you finish your application, this is the money you will pay to the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program. A patient can replace a lost card, which should cost $ 25. 

So, the state Department of Health is the only body that can approve the applications and issue the MJJ card. They can also dismiss your application if you miss following the proper guideline. After your application becomes successful, it will take 20 days to process, and you’ll get it then. And that’s it. Now you know how to get medical marijuana in North Dakota in a smooth way. 

The MMJ card is valid for 12 months and renewable before the actual expiry date. 

Can MMJ Cardholders Grow Weed?

Qualifying patients living 40 miles away from the dispensaries can cultivate weed. But the homegrown cannabis is limited to eight flowering plants. 

Qualifying Conditions for North Dakota

As per North Dakota Initiated Measure 26, any chronic or severe medical condition qualifies for an MMJ card. Patients must therefore refer to the following:  

• Severe pain
• Neuropath
• Cachexia/wasting syndrome
• Crohn’s
• Cancer
• HIV/AIDS
• Severe nausea
• Epilepsy/seizures

These are some of the conditions listed by this state, and the department might also add any other medical condition they find fit.

Which Weed Products Does the State Allow?

All the qualifying patients will access the below products stipulated by the North Dakota Department of Health. So, this is what will be available in the eight dispensaries.  

• • Capsules with weed concentrate
  • Edibles 
  • Topicals
  • Cannabis concentrate
  • Tinctures

• Cannabinoid transdermal patches

Only the above are the qualifying products that patients should access. So, the state doesn’t recognize leaves, dried flowers, or another part of the plant as medical cannabinoid products, including raw concentrate and all cannabis edibles. And it’s such that it has the law enforcers against weed legalization. 

Recreational weed is still illegal in North Dakota. So, if you need to use cannabis for medical purposes, we have explained how to get medical marijuana in North Dakota. And it would be great to go for it.

Anyone found in possession of less than half an ounce of weed and under the influence while driving will get a Class A misdemeanor. And the maximum fine is $1,000, with a max prison term extending up to one year. 

The same applies to those possessing half an ounce to one ounce of weed. The state classifies this as a Class A misdemeanor, and the fine and prison terms are similar.

Although the first attempt of establishing the medical cannabis program in 2015 failed, the state finally initiated it in 2016. It’s such a relief for the ND residents as they can now access the medical treatment they had waited in bated breath for one year. 

If you’re an MMJ cardholder in North Dakota, you can access the weed products from one of eight dispensaries in the state. 

In Conclusion

Thanks to most voters of NK, now their patients suffering from debilitating conditions can get natural relief. As we’ve shown you how to get medical marijuana in North Dakota, it’s not that complex. If you qualify with one of the conditions and meet the requirements above, go for it.