North Dakota Medical Marijuana Card Legislation
In 2016 voters passed Measure 5, known as the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act authorizing the sale of medical marijuana. Unfortunately, the North Dakota Legislative Assembly took two years to create regulations.
In 2017, legislators prohibited cultivation of medical marijuana in North Dakota from their residences, while giving legal protections to patients, caregivers, and medical marijuana businesses.
In May 2019, Gov. Doug Burgum signed HB 1050, which reduced marijuana possession penalties. Possession of up to 0.5 ounces of cannabis and marijuana-related paraphernalia was now a criminal infraction punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and no jail time for first-time offenders. Followed by the signing of HB 147, allowing medical marijuana patients with serious cancers to buy more cannabis within a month if their medical marijuana card specified the increased amount. Followed again in April 2019 by HB 1519, which expanded the list of qualifying medical conditions for medical marijuana patients in North Dakota.
North Dakota Medical Marijuana Card Cultivation & Possession Laws
North Dakota specifies that possession of 0.5 ounces or paraphernalia is a criminal infraction with up to a $1,000 fine and no jail-time for first-time offenders. Possessing more than 0.5 ounces but less than 500 grams is a Class B misdemeanor which is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 days imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $1,500. Cultivation in North Dakota is punished based on the aggregate weight of the plants found, which can easily result in a 1-year imprisonment and up to a $3,000 fine.