More changes ahead for the Legislature's medical marijuana regulation bill.
The House Human Services Committee heard the bill Tuesday. It's designed to rewrite the medical marijuana initiative voters passed last November – and make it conform to state standards.
"This is a relatively new industry," State Deputy Health Officer Arvy Smith told the Committee. "The Health Department is put into the position of needing to regulate an industry that does not yet exist. It has been challenging."
The bill itself is sponsored by the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate. Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner (R-Dickinson) told the Committee the bill’s objective is to give the voters of North Dakota what they want – and that’s medical marijuana, not recreational marijuana.
"We're committed to doing this right," Wardner said. "Once the horse is out of the barn, you're not going to get it back."
The regulations include what forms of marijuana are allowed, how many grow operations and dispensaries will be licensed, and to make sure the medical cannabis is of a consistent quality. Sen. Judy Lee (R-West Fargo), the chaiman of the Senate Human Services Committee, told the House Committee the potency varies by marijuana product.
"Now, you don't go to the pharmacy and have your pharmacist hand you a bottle of Lipitor, and say 'Here -- see how many of these you take before you feel better,'" Lee said. "We have to have some consistency."
The sponsors said more amendments will be offered to the Committee. If they're adopted, and the full House passes the measure, it will have to have another vote in the Senate, and could end up in a conference committee. Because an initiated measure is being changed it will take a two thirds vote of both houses for the bill to pass.
Smith said when all is said and done, it will take about a year to get things up and running for medical marijuana to become a reality in North Dakota.
