North Dakota Governor Signs Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana Edibles That Meet Certain Requirements

The governor of North Dakota has signed a bill into law legalizing select marijuana edibles for registered medical cannabis patients.

About a week after the measure from Rep. Steve Vetter (R) cleared the legislature, Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) gave it final approval on Monday.

Under the newly enacted law, the state’s medical marijuana program will be expanded to permit the sale of cannabis edibles, which is defined as a “soft or hard lozenge in a geometric square shape into which a cannabinoid concentrate or the dried leaves or flowers of the plant of the genus cannabis is incorporated.”

While a fairly restrictive definition compared to many other legal states, advocates are encouraged by the development, as North Dakota patients were previously expressly prohibited from using cannabis products other than flower, tinctures, capsules and topical patches.

The new law requires edibles to contain no more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving in a package that can be up to 50 milligrams total.

In written testimony discussing the legislation, the sponsor emphasized that, “if this bill becomes law, it would be the most conservative edibles law in the nation.”

“It has safeguards for minors with rules on the looks of the container and many other considerations put into this bill,” Vetter said. “The medical cannabis community would really appreciate a form of cannabis that is more impactful, for certain types of conditions.”

“This edible bill is good conservative bill with safeguards for minors. It allows for a healthier alternative product that decreases a patient’s exposure to carcinogens, while ultimately increasing the period of relief they enjoy from their debilitating conditions. There is a reason most other medicines are given orally, and it makes sense for medical marijuana to follow that particular path.”

Meanwhile, the North Dakota Senate recently rejected a House-passed bill that would have expanded the state’s marijuana decriminalization law.

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North Dakota in 2019 enacted what advocacy groups generally refer to as a marijuana decriminalization policy, which removed the risk of jail time for possessing under a half-ounce of cannabis. Possession nevertheless remains a criminal infraction and carries a fine of up to $1,000.

HB 1596, would have instead made simple possession of up to half an ounce of marijuana a civil citation.

State voters have not weighed in on simple marijuana decriminalization, though last year they rejected a broader adult-use legalization ballot initiative that would have created a commercial cannabis market. Voters also rejected an earlier legalization proposal at the ballot box in 2022.

Texas Senate Passes Bill To Ban Cities From Putting Marijuana Decriminalization Initiatives On Local Ballots

Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.