North Dakota Medical Cannabis Foundational Certification

In February 2015, medical marijuana legalization attempts through House Bill 1430 were voted down 26-67 because House Human Services Committee members felt that the concerns and risks outweighed the benefits.

However, in 2016, North Dakota marijuana laws changed in favor of medical usage after voters approved Measure 5 with 63% votes.

By 2017, State lawmakers adopted Senate Bill 2344, which applied changes to Measure 5, including removing the right for North Dakota medical marijuana users to grow their weed.

The North Dakota Department of Health is in charge of medical marijuana in North Dakota; they issue medical marijuana cards and supervise medical marijuana dispensation in the state.

As of June 2022, the NDDH puts the number of active North Dakota medical marijuana users at 7,830. Source: Department of Health, Division of Medical Marijuana,

Effective October 1, 2022, qualifying patient application fees have been reduced from $50 to $25.

Qualifying Conditions

• 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

• U.S. Controlled Substances Act
• Drug Schedule – Cannabis Schedule I
• Drug Schedule (Graphic)
• COVID Cannabis Guidelines
• Economic Impact
• Cannabis genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae
• Legal differentiation between hemp and marijuana distinguished by their respective concentrations of the cannabinoid delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• 2018 Farm Bill
  • Impact on hemp classification
• SAFE Banking Act
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,507
• Trademarks
• Ogden Memo
• Cole Memo
• Wilkenson Memo
• 2018 Sessions Memorandum
• Rohrabacher–Blumenauer Amendment
• Joyce Amendment
• Conant v. Walters
•  What Medical Professionals Can Legally Provide To Their Patients (Graphic)
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Downloadable PDf
• Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research
• Guidance for Industry – Video Explainer
• Taxes
• Affirmative Defense
• Bankruptcy Protection
• Employment Law
• Access to Banking  – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FinCEN Guidance
• Copyright and Registration

• Origins of Cannabis
• Early History of Cannabis Cultivation
  • Silk Route
  • Indica
  • Sativa
  • Ruderalis
  • Hybrids
• Medical Cannabis Through The Ages – How Cannabis Spanned The Globe – Downloadable Graphic
• Medical Cannabis In Ancient China
• Medical Cannabis In Other Ancient Civilizations
• Cannabis Timeline – Downloadable Graphic
• Power Struggles Over Cannabis
• Cannabis In Europe and The West
• U.S. Prohibition
  • Marihuana Tax Act
  • Prohibition
  • “Reefer Madness”
• The Implications of U.S. Prohibition
• Shafer Commission
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• The Legacy Cannabis Marketplace
• Cannabis Cultivation Culture Booms
• The Beginning of the End of Prohibition
  • Prop 215 – Compassionate Care Act
  • I-502
  • Amendment 64
• U.S. Cannabis Policy Today
• Legal Cannabis Lexicon
• Hemp vs. Cannabis
• ASTM – D37 Committee

• Introduction of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
• Largest Receptor System
• ECS – Vaideo Explainer
• Newly Discovered
• Chemical Bridge to All Bodily Functions
• Homeostasis
• Healthy Body = Healthy ECS
• ECS – Downloadable Graphic
• Dr Jake Felice – What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)? Video Interview
• Largest Neurotransmitter System of all “the body’s supercomputer”
• 1964 discovery of THC and CBD – Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D and Yehiel Gaoni, Ph.D
• The Scientist – video regarding Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D discoveries
• Allyn Howlett, Ph.D  – Isolating THC in the brain – 1998
  • No cannabinoid receptors in the cardiac and respiratory centers of the brainstem therefore no overdose from cannabis
• Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D found in 1992, brain chemical that mirrors the effects of THC
  • Two brain chemicals – anandamide, Sanskrit word “ananda” brain chemical that mimics THC and CBD, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol, which they named 2-AG.
• Endogenous Molecules “endocannabinoids”.
• CB1 receptors, and CB2 receptors
• Cannabinoids and how they attach to receptors
• CB1 receptors
  • Located in the central nervous system and affect many brain functions including movement, anxiety, stress, fear, pain, appetite, reward, and motor control
• CB2 receptors
  • CB2 receptors control the release of cytokines, immuno-regulatory proteins, that are linked to inflammation during illness or after injury.
• Retrograde Inhibition
• Lack of education on the Endocannabinoid System
• Clinical Studies
• At a Glance – Downloadable Infographic
• Homeostatsis
• Humand Thriving Behavior and the ECS

• Minor Cannabinoids: CBG CBC CBN THCV
• Cannabinoid Guide – Downloadable Graphic
• Terpenes
• Terpene Chart – Downloadable Graphic
• What Are Terpenes? – Video
• The Entourage Effect
• Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects- Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts? – Downloadable PDF
• Tolerance and ECS Down Regulation
• Botanical vs. Single Molecule Compounds & Cannabinoids and Opioids

• Inhalation: Smoking vs. Vaporization
• In the News Discussions
• Cannabis Flower vs. Concentrate
• Different Concentrate Consistencies
• Extraction Methods
• Winterization
• Concentrates Using Solvents
• Solventless Concentrates
• Edibles, Oral Mucosal, Topicals and Suppositories
• The Role of the Medical Provider
• The Role of the Dispensary: Experts within the Dispensary

• Considerations Before Medicating with Cannabis
• Set and Setting
• Drug-Drug Interactions
• Relative Contraindications
• Youth Under 25
• Patients and Cardiac Conditions
• Patients with Psychiatric Diagnoses
• Immunocompromised Patents
• Biphasic Effect
• Finding the Appropriate Dose
• Recommended Ratios for Specific Illnesses

• How Testing Works
• Contaminants: Pesticides, Fungi and Mold
• How to Interpret a Test

• Anxiety Disorders
• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Migraine Headaches
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Neuropathy
• Pain
• Palliative Care
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Endometriosis
• Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Menopause

• Opioids
• Cannabis and Opioids
• Global Patterns of Opioid Use and Dependence
• Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths
• Pain Management
• Comparative Pain Scale
• Addictive Potential of Opioids
• Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
• Underlying Principles – Downloadable Graphic
• Studies Show Cannabinoid Medications Effective in Reducing Opioid Use
• Cause of Death by Drug – Downloadable Graphic
• Drug Dependence
• Opioid Use Disorder
• Emerging Evidence for Cannabis’ Role in Opioid Use Disorder – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis: A Promising Option for the Opioid Crisis – Downloadable PDF
• Cannabis and NSAIDS: More Good News

• Gateway Theory, Addiction and Brain Function
• Cannabis is Highly Addictive
• Cannabis Kills Brain Cells
• Cannabis Kills Motivation
• Cannabis Impairs Memory
• Cannabis Leads to Insanity
• Cannabis Causes Lung Cancer
• Most Recreational Users are Heavy Users
• Cannabis is Dangerous

• Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)
• Short Term Side Effects
• Long Term Side Effects
• Physical Effects
  • Breathing Problems
  • Increased Heart Rate
  • Development
• Cannabinoid Hypermesis Syndrome (CHS)
• Mental Effects
• What to Avoid
• Cannabis and Driving
• Cannabis Over Consumption
• Cannabis Tolerance