Seven of North Dakota’s eight medical marijuana dispensaries remain open during the pandemic.
Fargo’s dispensary closed April 3rd.
New York-based Acreage Holdings said at the time it was closing the Botanist because of “the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.”
Since that time, the director of the State Health Department's Medical Marijuana division has been talking with the owners to see if -- and when -- the dispensary will reopen.
"It's a work in progress," said division director Jason Wahl.
Wahl said he was surprised by the announcement of the closure. He said he's been trying to work with the dispensary's representatives to put together a plan to get that dispensary reopened, or find another dispensary.
"We hope that we will have an answer in the near future," Wahl said.
Wahl said since it closed, his department has fielded a number of calls from patients.
"We certainly know this was detrimental to certain patients, who may be having a difficult time traveling to another part of the state to make purchases," Wahl said.
Wahl said patients could make use of the “designated caregiver” program, where somebody else could travel for them.
"We've also been increasing our conversations with dispensaries in regards to home delivery, which is an option available to them under the administrative rules for the program," Wahl said. "However, at this time, we do not have a dispensary offering that service."
Wahl said the closest dispensaries to Fargo would be Grand Forks or Jamestown.
