Industry and nurses back controlled edibles, telehealth and certification changes in medical marijuana bill (SB 2294)

Senate Bill 2294 drew extended testimony from industry representatives, nurses and Department of Health and Human Services staff about recordkeeping, certification periods, telehealth and a narrowly defined edible lozenge.

Casey Newman, CEO of Pure Dakota Health (a medical marijuana operator), told the committee his industry requested several changes to keep the state medical program viable as neighboring states expand adult‑use markets. Newman asked that the committee allow telehealth certification for qualifying patients in remote areas, extend certification periods (one year for new patients and two years for renewals), and permit a single, tightly specified edible product. He described the proposed edible as a 5 mg per serving lozenge that would come in a maximum 50 mg package, produced in a one‑inch opaque geometric square mold, packed in a blister and then in a child‑resistant tamper‑evident outer box; he said the product would be independently tested and offered only after strict standard operating procedures.

Nurse Gail Peterson, representing cannabis nursing concerns, supported the changes and urged reductions in barriers such as cost and travel for patients; she proposed additional quality and patient‑safety reporting requirements. Jason Wall of the Medical Marijuana Program noted the department’s general support for a conservative edible approach but cautioned that an emergency clause would create implementation challenges: ‘‘We need some IT programming changes. We need time for the laboratory to get set up to test and do proficiency testing before they would see that. We’d need to draft administrative rules,’’ he said.

Implementation context: Wall also told senators the program has about 10,100 registered patients and that dried leaves and flowers account for roughly 62% of program sales ($22.4 million total sales reported in the program’s FY24 data). The department pointed out a similar edible bill (House Bill 1203) carries different dosage limits (10 mg per serving, 100 mg per package) and urged the committee to consider harmonization and enforcement details. Committee members pressed industry witnesses on packaging, childproofing, laboratory testing, and whether the bill should include an emergency clause to accelerate implementation.

Outcome: The committee heard testimony pro and con; no committee vote on SB 2294 was recorded in the hearing transcript.