BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — As of April 4, North Dakota has 9,932 people who have an active medical marijuana card.

“At the beginning of the program, of when it was implemented, we did receive a number of phone calls and heard from a number of individuals that they were having a difficult time trying to find a healthcare provider,” said Jason Wahl, the Director of Medical Marijuana in North Dakota.

The first transaction to be made at a North Dakota Medical Marijuana dispensary was on March 1, 2019, according to Wahl. Patients at the beginning of the program had a lot of struggles trying to find a doctor to prescribe it to them.

However, Wahl says that people were likely to be wary of any new program that came around.
He also says that the legislature has now made things easier for healthcare providers to complete a written certification.

“As time goes on, and more information has been provided to the healthcare provider community, we’ve seen more and more healthcare providers now completing written certifications than in the past,” said Wahl.

After that, the patient makes an appointment at a marijuana patient card certification clinic and fills out the forms with them. They will then direct you to the North Dakota Health and Human Services website where you make an account and wait for your paperwork to be approved. An applicant can expect to spend around $275, and as long as the patient meets certain qualifying conditions, it will be approved.

“One of the things the legislature wants reported on for the program is what is the types of medical conditions that are being selected by healthcare providers in the application process. Anxiety disorder is by far our most marked condition. Followed by PTSD, a chronic or debilitating disease, and or pain,” said Wahl.

Wahl said that the Medical Marijuana program not only benefits the qualifying patients but it also gives North Dakota more job opportunities as the state has eight dispensaries and two manufacturers.

Casey Neumann, the Chief Executive Director of Pure Dakota Health, says that those manufacturers have some of the safest strains in the U.S. due to the strict testing that the buds go through.

“The rules that are put into place; the amount of yeast and mold, which is microbial. And also those stringent standards when it comes to heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cambium. The limits are very very low in North Dakota in comparison to most other states,” said Neumann.

After a patient receives their card, they go to a dispensary where they can sit down and consult with a professional who helps the patient get the product that works best for them.

“We’re going to ask the patient predominately what is the largest issue that they’re having that their diagnoses brought them here for. And then what we’re going to do is find out multiple different products that may help them lessen whether it be anxiety, whether it be pain, or whether it be as little as fatigue,” said Neumann.

Pure Dakota Health has three locations. One in Bismarck, one in Williston, and another in Fargo.
They offer in-store pickup as well as delivery for those who are unable to make it into the store within a 25-mile radius.

“We do offer a program that is designed to give them a larger discount in the event that they live farther away in excess of 100 miles. We try to help those folks and it seems like it has been a hit here and it would be typical to that person going to Walmart, they’re going to purchase more here than they would in the event that they live a mile away.,” said Neumann.

They offer products that vary depending on what the patient wants or needs. And since the law in North Dakota doesn’t allow edibles Pure Dakota offers tinctures and even capsule form for those who don’t want to smoke.

However, that could change.

Wahl said that in the last couple of legislative sessions, they did have an edible bill introduced and while it passed, it didn’t have the two-thirds majority vote.

“So, you could see that type of change or other changes to the program now that it just needs a 50% vote rather than that two-thirds majority vote,” said Wahl.

However, Wald says there can also be some disadvantages to the Medical Marijuana program such as the potential negative side effects of marijuana. There are more expected legislative changes to come for the future of the medical marijuana program in our state as it continues to grow.