North Dakota Governor Signs Bill Allowing Those in Hospice Care to Self-Certify as Medical Marijuana Patients

Legislation to allow those in hospice care to certify themselves as medical marijuana patients has been signed into law by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

House Bill 1478, “relating to the self-certification of an individual admitted into the hospice program for the medical use of marijuana”, was signed into law Thursday by Governor Burgum. The measure passed the House by a vote of 86 to 6, and it passed the Senate unanimously, 45 to 0.

House Bill 1478 allows those 65 and older to “submit to the department a copy of the individual’s medical records identifying a designation of being admitted” into the program. The department “may use medical records in place of a written certification to approve or deny the application”. It was filed by State Representative Mary Schneider with a bipartisan group of 10 cosponsors.

The proposal states that The department “shall issue a registry identification card within fourteen calendar days of approving an application under this section”, and the department “shall waive the registration fee for a qualifying patient applicant admitted into the hospice program.”


For the full text of House Bill 1478, click here.

Under North Dakota’s medical marijuana law patients who possess a physician’s recommendation may legally obtain up to three ounces of herbal medical cannabis provided by state licensed dispensaries.

Below is a list of conditions that qualify an individual to become a medical marijuana patient in North Dakota:

  • Agitation from Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Anxiety disorder
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Brain injury
  • Bulimia nervosa
  • Cachexia or Wasting syndrome
  • Cancer
  • Chronic or debilitating disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • Endometriosis
  • Epilepsy
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Glaucoma
  • Hepatitis C
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Interstitial cystitis
  • Intractable nausea
  • Neuropathy
  • Migraine
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Seizures
  • Severe and persistent muscle spasms
  • Severe debilitating pain
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Tourette syndrome
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