Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed legislation into law regulating the manufacturing and dispensing of cannabis-infused edible products to state-qualified patients.

House Bill 1203 legalizes patients’ access to “cannabinoid edible products.” The law defines these products as “soft or hard lozenges in a geometric square shape into which a cannabinoid concentrate or the dried leaves or flowers of the plant of the genus cannabis is incorporated.”

Patients are currently limited to the use of botanical cannabis and/or tinctures, capsules, or topical patches.

Approximately 10,000 North Dakotans are registered in the state’s medical cannabis access program, which voters approved in 2016.

Patients prefer different methods of cannabis ingestion based on their own particular needs. Those seeking rapid relief typically prefer inhaling cannabis, which provides a rapid onset of effects. By contrast, cannabinoids consumed in the form of edibles possess delayed onset but tend to have longer-lasting effects.

Additional information is available from the NORML document, Marijuana: A Primer.