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Chronic Pain and cannabis in North Dakota

The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Listed qualifying condition
✓ Yes
LEGAL
Up to 3 oz of usable ca…
POSSESSION
$50/yr
STATE FEE
14–45 d
TIMELINE
Listed qualifying condition. The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

North Dakota statute and program

The North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program is the operating authority for North Dakota patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: North Dakota Century Code Chapter 19-24.1: Medical Marijuana. The program portal is at North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Chronic Pain

Chronic pain persists beyond the expected period of healing, typically defined as longer than three months. It is one of the most common chronic health conditions in adults and a leading reason patients seek medical cannabis. Chronic pain is not a single disease but a category that includes neuropathic pain (nerve-injury origin), nociceptive pain (tissue-damage origin), inflammatory pain, mixed pain (back pain, cancer pain), and centralized pain syndromes (fibromyalgia). Each subtype has a distinct evidence base for cannabis efficacy.

For the full evidence base, including the NASEM tier, randomized trial summaries, and symptom-domain breakdown, read the mmjnow Chronic Pain page.

How to qualify in North Dakota

The North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program requires the following registration steps for a Chronic Pain patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get a written certification from a North Dakota-licensed healthcare provider. Under N.D.C.C. Ch. 19-24.1 (Compassionate Care Act, Measure 5 of 2016 as amended), any North Dakota-licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant may certify a patient for one of the enumerated debilitating medical conditions: cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, PTSD, severe debilitating pain, intractable nausea, severe muscle spasms, glaucoma, Crohn’s, MS, autism spectrum, Tourette’s, ulcerative colitis, severe debilitating chronic pain, terminal illness, neuropathy, and others under §19-24.1-01.
  2. Apply through the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program portal. The patient creates an account in the North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) Medical Marijuana Program portal, uploads the healthcare provider written certification, a North Dakota driver license or state ID, a passport-style photograph, and proof of North Dakota residency.
  3. Pay the $50 state registration fee. The two-year North Dakota medical marijuana patient ID card fee is $50 (no reduced fee tier as of current HHS rules). Caregiver registration is $50 with a separate state and federal background check. Fees are paid online during HHS portal submission.
  4. Receive the card and purchase from a North Dakota dispensary. North Dakota medical marijuana patient ID cards are issued within roughly 30 days of complete application. With the card, patients may purchase up to 2.5 ounces every 30 days from any of the licensed North Dakota medical marijuana dispensaries. Approved forms include flower, capsules, tinctures, topicals, and concentrates. North Dakota does not honor out-of-state medical cards. Cards renew at the two-year mark with fresh practitioner certification.
State registration fee
$50
Physician visit (typical)
$150–$300
Certification to card
14–45 days
Out-of-state patients
Not eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

For full North Dakota registration steps, fees, and reciprocity rules, see the North Dakota cannabis-laws page.

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Chronic Pain for the North Dakota medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 G89.29 or SNOMED-CT 82423001 in the patient's record. The state registry does not itself collect ICD-10 codes in most programs, but the physician's chart is the audit trail if the certification is later reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Does North Dakota list Chronic Pain as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. North Dakota explicitly lists Chronic Pain as a qualifying condition under North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program. A patient with a documented Chronic Pain diagnosis can pursue state-program certification with a physician registered in the state. The qualifying-condition list is published by the state at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/medical-marijuana and may change as regulators add, remove, or refine entries. Inclusion on the list does not guarantee certification — a physician still has to evaluate the patient and decide that medical cannabis is appropriate for that specific case under North Dakota rules.

How do I get a North Dakota medical marijuana card for Chronic Pain?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in North Dakota who is registered with North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program and willing to evaluate Chronic Pain cases. Step two is collecting your records (diagnosis documentation, treatment history, and the ICD-10 code your physician will use) and bringing them to the certification visit. Step three is the physician's certification through the state registry, followed by the patient registration application, state fee, and waiting period before the card is issued. North Dakota does not honor out-of-state cards, so the certification process has to originate inside the state. Verify the patient minimum age with the state program before applying. The authoritative source for the current process is the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Program site at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/medical-marijuana; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Chronic Pain?

For Chronic Pain, evidence is described as strong (e.g. multiple randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews supporting effect). The mmjnow condition page for Chronic Pain lays out the current evidence base, including the citations underlying that evidence tier — typically the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus reports, federal agency guidance, and peer-reviewed reviews. Evidence quality is independent of state law: a state can list a condition for which evidence is limited, and a state can decline to list a condition for which evidence is strong. Patients deciding whether to pursue medical cannabis for Chronic Pain should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Chronic Pain and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Chronic Pain; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 19-24.1: Medical Marijuanaaccessed May 16, 2026
  2. North Dakota Century Code §19-03.1-23.1: Decriminalization of Possession of Small Amountsaccessed May 16, 2026
  3. North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services: Medical Marijuana Programaccessed May 16, 2026
  4. Wikipedia: Cannabis in North Dakotaaccessed May 16, 2026
  5. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoidsaccessed May 1, 2026

    “Conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for chronic pain in adults.”

  6. NIH NCCIH: Cannabis and Cannabinoidsaccessed May 1, 2026