North Dakota’s legislature sent a bill to Governor Scott that would allow hospice patients to self-certify as patients using medical marijuana.
Rep. Mary Schneider (D), passed the legislation in the House with an 86-6 vote and in the Senate unanimously with a 45-0 vote last Wednesday. The legislation now goes to Gov. Doug Burgum (R).
The proposal would allow terminally ill patients to use their proof of admission in hospice care as evidence of their consent to medical cannabis. The measure, as introduced, would have allowed anyone 65 years or older to self-certify. However, that was changed by the House Human Services Committee last week.
The legislation stipulates that the regulators must issue a cannabis patient ID card within 14 days after receiving the documentation. Application fees will be waived.
The bill allows designated caregivers to pick up cannabis products for hospice patients without undergoing background checks. This is in the same way they are allowed to do for terminally ill patients.
Kristin Roers, Senate Majority Caucus Leader (R), stated that hospice patients often don’t have time to complete the process. “And so, I wanted to make it a little easier for someone who was admitted to a hospice program to be eligible to receive medical marijuana while they are there.”
Roers stated that cannabis can be substituted for opioids and that access to marijuana may help patients be more alert during the final days and hours of their lives with their loved ones.
It seems likely that Governor. Doug Burgum (R), who authored a cannabis decriminalization bill in 2019, will permit it to be enacted.
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In terms of self-certification, the mayor of Washington, D.C. signed legislation in January that codifies the right of adults 21 and older to become medical cannabis patients without a doctor’s recommendation–effectively circumventing a congressional spending bill rider that blocks the District from using its tax dollars to set up a system of recreational sales despite voters approving legalization at the ballot in 2014.
North Dakota voters rejected two ballot proposals to legalize adult marijuana use. The first was in 2018 and , the second was during last year’s election.
The ballot initiative was very similar to the bill that was introduced in Congress in 2021. After passing the House , Rep. Jason Dockter (R-) had his proposal defeated by the Senate .
A bill to significantly increase North Dakota’s current marijuana legalization policy was passed by the House in December last year, but it was defeated later in the Senate.
The current statute makes possession of less than half an ounce of cannabis an offense that can be punished with a $1,000 fine and no jail sentence. The proposed amendment that was defeated would have made possession of upto an ounce of cannabis a non-criminal offense with a $50 penalty.
In 2016, North Dakota voters approved a ballot measure for medical cannabis.
A resolution was also passed by the legislature that encourages residents to purchase U.S. flags made from hemp and manufactured within the state.
Chet Pollert, the House Majority Leader (R), previously stated that he is not a “marijuana person”, but he has acknowledged that legalization of cannabis is on the horizon. Pollert stated that South Dakota voters approved a legalization initiative for cannabis in 2020, which has caused him to rethink his position. He also said that the legislature should take a “long, hard look” at any policy changes.
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The post North Dakota Bill Allowing Hospice Patients To Self-Certify as Medical Marijuana Patient Heads to Governor’s Desk appeared originally on Marijuana moment.
