North Dakota’s governor has signed a bill allowing patients admitted to hospice care to self-certify as medical marijuana patients.
The legislation, which cleared the House in an 86-6 vote and the Senate unanimously in a 45-0 vote, was signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Doug Burgum (R).
Under the measure from Rep. Mary Schneider (D), terminally ill patients will be able to use proof of their admittance in hospice care in lieu of a doctor’s written recommendation to register as a medical cannabis patient.
As introduced, the measure would have given the self-certification option to any person age 65 and older, but that was amended out by the House Human Services Committee last month.
The new law states that regulators will have to issue a cannabis patient card within 14 days of receiving the documentation, and that application fees will be waived for qualifying hospice patients.
In the interest of expediency, the bill also makes it so designated caregivers will be able to pick up marijuana products for patients in hospice without going through a background check process, just as they’re already allowed to do for terminally ill patients.
“When someone is in hospice, they often don’t have the
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