2020-21 Improvements and Recommendations

Although new regulations were expected in 2021 dealing with the production of edible cannabis products, no such regulations occurred. CNMI began accepting patient and caregiver registries for home cultivation of medical cannabis, but has so far neglected to implement any substantial programs that would give patients robust access to medical cannabis products and retailers.

ASA recommends that lawmakers in the Northern Mariana Islands focus on protecting the civil rights of patients. As it stands, the territory does not protect a patient’s right to housing, employment, child custody, organ transplants, or against unfair discrimination in a roadside sobriety test based on their status as a patient.