ND receives 97 letters of intent from those who want to manufacture, dispense medical marijuana

The department asked those interested in submitting proposals to be selected as a so-called "compassion center" to submit a letter of intent by the end of the day Friday, July 28.

"We weren't sure if we were going to get 15 or if we were going to get 40 or way more," said Kenan Bullinger, the department's medical marijuana director. "That really helps us plan for the future on how much ... time we need to spend reviewing these applications."

Bullinger said they hope to open the application period later this month. That will come after the attorney general's office reviews the department's rules and Gov. Doug Burgum grants the department emergency rulemaking authority, he said.

Bullinger expects the application period to last seven to eight weeks.

North Dakota voters approved a medical marijuana ballot measure last year, but lawmakers said it was unworkable and needed changes. They approved a bill rewriting the law this year with what they said was better safeguards.

State law allows the Health Department to register up to two manufacturing facilities and up to eight dispensaries across the state. The letter of intent was the first step in that process, and the nearly 100 responses the department received signals strong interest in the new program.

Bullinger predicted that not all 97 of those who submitted letters will end up submitting an application, which carries a $5,000 nonrefundable fee.

"I was surprised by the numbers and maybe we'll still be surprised by the applications that come in," he said. "But it's great to have that many interested because we're convinced we're going to have some excellent applications to choose from."

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