With the ever-changing laws around marijuana, it is no wonder that locals are asking how our fair city has changed. People in Fargo must still untangle several intersecting layers of cannabis rules. Medical marijuana has been legal statewide since voters adopted the Compassionate Care Act in 2016, but a 2024 ballot push to allow adult-use failed by a slim margin.
Medical cannabis: Who qualifies and how much?
State law allows registered patients, diagnosed with any of about 30 listed medical conditions, to obtain as much as three ounces of marijuana from approved dispensaries. Home growing remains illegal, and every patient must hold a registry card issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Recreational use: still off-limits, but partly decriminalized
Adult-use possession is illegal, yet since House Bill 1050 (2019), carrying under 14 grams (or half an ounce) is a criminal infraction. This means that the consequences are only a ticket that can cost up to $1,000, but it involves no jail time.
What happens above the half-ounce line?
Under state law, having over 14 grams yet less than 500 grams of marijuana is charged as a Class B misdemeanor. Upon conviction, the penalty can include incarceration for as long as 30 days and a fine of up to $1,500. Possession exceeding 500 grams is a felony, which shows that the state still has a hard line on unregulated distribution.
Legislative rumblings in 2025
Lawmakers keep fine-tuning penalties. House Bill 1596, which passed the House in February 2025, would convert that half-ounce infraction into a purely civil fine, scrubbing it from criminal records altogether. The bill awaits Senate action.
Medical patients with a valid card may buy from licensed dispensaries, but cannot grow at home. Any non-patient caught with cannabis faces at least a fine. Though, cross the 14-gram threshold and jail time enters the picture. Recreational legalization remains on the ballot horizon, but it has yet to clear voters or the legislature, which means drug crime defenses are still vitally important.