Industry

Heavy Interest in North Dakota Medical Marijuana Network

Published on August 2, 2017 · Last updated July 28, 2020
Fracking Drill Rig under a dramatic sky at sunriseFracking Oil Well is conducting a fracking procedure to release trapped crude oil and natural gas to be refined and used as energy

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Nearly 100 groups and businesses in North Dakota have shown interest in producing or dispensing medical marijuana, pleasing state officials who are establishing a network for making the drug available to qualified patients.

“I'm pretty sure we're going to have the ability to have a dispensary in each part of the state.”

The Health Department in June asked those interested in being a part of the system to notify the agency by the end of the month so it could gauge interest. The request drew 97 nonbinding letters of intent, exceeding expectations, according to Kenan Bullinger, director of the department’s medical marijuana division.

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to have the ability to have a dispensary in each part of the state,” he said.

North Dakota voters last November approved medical cannabis, and the Legislature earlier this year crafted regulations that Gov. Doug Burgum approved in April. The North Dakota Compassionate Care Act allows the use of medical marijuana to treat 17 medical conditions, along with terminal illnesses. The Health Department will register two “compassion centers” to grow and process the drug and eight more to dispense it.

The Health Department is finishing the process of drafting administrative rules that will cover such things as lab testing, security requirements and transportation regulations. Once that’s complete, the agency will accept formal applications from potential processors and distributers — likely starting later this month and running through mid-October. Unlike the letter-of-intent process, those who apply will have to pay a non-refundable $5,000 application fee.

A committee will be set up to review proposals. It likely will include people with medical, legal, regulatory and laboratory testing expertise.

“It will be a good cross section of backgrounds, both government and non-government people,” Bullinger said.

The Health Department is crafting a scoring and ranking system for applications, fine-tuning information gleaned from other states’ experiences.

“The beauty in all of this, we’ve had a number of other states that have done this in the past,” Bullinger said. “We’ve looked at a number of states’ scoring systems, and how they ranked (applications).”

The Health Department hopes to make final selections by the end of November. That likely would mean medical cannabis would be available by late spring or early summer of 2018.

Shop highly rated dispensaries near you

Showing you dispensaries near
See all dispensaries
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
The AP is one of the world's largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering.
View The Associated Press's articles
Get good reads, local deals, and strain spotlights delivered right to your inbox.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.



Stay In Touch

Receive updates on new products, special offers, and industry news.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Leafly mobile app
Get high for less.
Download the Leafly app.
Download Leafly: Marijuana Reviews on the App Store
Download Leafly Marijuana Reviews on Google Play




* Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for individual medical advice.


© 2024 Leafly, LLC
Leafly and the Leafly logo are registered trademarks of Leafly, LLC. All Rights Reserved.