Pain Patients’ Applications Flood Into Minnesota’s Medical Marijuana Program

Pain patients have swiftly flooded the Minnesota medical marijuana program office with applications. At first, chronic pain, or intractable pain, was not a qualifying condition in Minnesota. But in August it became a qualifying condition.

One third of Minnesota’s medical marijuana patients qualify under chronic pain, according to reports in the Star Tribune and statistics provided by the Office of Medical Cannabis. Minnesota is battling an opioid epidemic, and researchers will be watching enrollment trends in the state carefully due to the epidemic.

Studies have already proven that where marijuana is legal in some form, opioid overdose numbers decline significantly. The downfalls of Minnesota’s program are high prices and that only two companies – with a combined total of eight dispensary locations – are permitted to sell medical marijuana.

Given the expansion of patient enrollment, patients are hoping that prices will decrease. The prices are part of what is stopping many potential patients from applying for the program at all.

Medical marijuana patient Cassie Traun said, “I’m tired. I’m sick. I shouldn’t need to be here begging for dignity, begging for access. This program is an illusion of a functioning medical cannabis program.”

Traun was forced to “drop out of the program” because of its high costs. She openly admitted to purchasing her medicine on the streets again because the cost of purchasing legally was too much and would cost her thousands of dollars per month.

CEO of MinnMed, Dr. Kyle Kingsley said, “The thing that keeps me up at night is the pricing.”

Minnesota’s medical marijuana program is one of the smallest and most tightly regulated in the country. Only eight medical marijuana dispensaries are available statewide. Patients are only permitted to purchase medical marijuana in liquid or pill forms.

Additional qualifying conditions could be added to the medical marijuana program in 2017, as stated by Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger.