The House has rejected a bill that would have allowed edibles for medical marijuana patients.
The bill did get a majority of the House votes. But because it was amending an initiated measure — passed by voters in 2016 — it needed a two-thirds vote.
Rep. Bernie Satrom (R-Jamestown) argued against the measure. He told the House he's concerned that allowing edibles will make it easier for children to get a hold of the medical marijuana, thinking it's candy or a treat.
"Ingesting these marijuana edibles can cause serious health problems in young children," Satrom said. "Confusion, hallucination, fast heart rate, vomiting."
Satrom said in severe cases, children can experience trouble breathing, or even comas.
But Rep. Steve Vetter (R-Grand Forks) said the edibles would be packaged in such a way that they would not be enticing to children.
"This is something that the people wanted — the people voted for this," Vetter said. "Now, here we are, six years later, trying to give the people what they originally asked for."
The vote was 55 to 37. It needed 63 votes to pass.
