Voters in North Dakota may get a chance to vote on medical marijuana this fall, something the legislature has not addressed.

Supporters of medical marijuana have been circulating a citizen initiative to put the issue on the November ballot. On Monday, Dave Schwartz, campaign director for a pro-medical marijuana group called North Dakotans for Compassionate Care, delivered petitions that he said contained about 20,000 signatures to North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s office.

The petitions need about 13,500 signatures from North Dakota voters for the initiative to qualify for a vote. Jaeger has about a month to review the petitions and decide whether they are valid.

The measure would allow someone who suffers from cancer, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating illnesses to use marijuana if a doctor recommends it.

Medical marijuana users could grow a limited supply for their own use, and possess up to 2½ ounces of pot for medical reasons, the measure says.

People who needed to obtain the drug would do so from a state-licensed dispensary, with the North Dakota Health Department given regulatory responsibility over medical marijuana.

Voters in South Dakota have rejected medical marijuana twice, and ND is a similar conservative state. But even if it fails, being on the ballot will, at the very least, raise awareness on the issue in the state and make medical marijuana more likely down the road.

Patients in ND deserve legal protections just as much as patients in every other state.

- Joe Klare