Minnesota’s Office of Medical Cannabis is once again considering adding new qualifying medical conditions and a mode of administration to the medical cannabis program. It is accepting public comment on:

• Sensible Minnesota’s petition to add GI-uptake infused edibles (i.e., edibles that are not dissolved orally, such as chewable products), and
• Adding anxiety disorder and/or specific sub-conditions — generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety/ social phobia, panic disorder, specific phobias, separation anxiety, and agoraphobia. The Office of Medical Cannabis seeks to limit the condition to individuals who are 25 or older.

You can add your voice in support of expanding the program by submitting written comment by October 1.

Email health.cannabis.adddeliverymethod@state.mn.us to support GI edibles as a new delivery method. Email health.cannabis.addmedicalcondition@state.mn.us to support adding anxiety disorder as a qualifying medical condition and to weigh in on the proposed limitation to those 25 or older.

Or send postal mail to:

Office of Medical Cannabis 
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882

When Minnesota’s medical cannabis law passed in 2014, its list of qualifying conditions and modes of administration were among the most restrictive in the country — leaving behind huge numbers of patients and prohibiting raw cannabis. But, thanks to years of advocacy led by Sensible Minnesota, the program has steadily improved. Chronic pain, macular degeneration, PTSD, autism, and obstructive sleep apnea have been added through the petition process, and the legislature added whole-plant flower cannabis this year.

Please comment on one or both petitions to help the program continue to improve. To go the extra mile, forward this message to other Minnesotans who may be interested in raising their voices.

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Starting today — August 1, 2020 — Minnesotans with chronic pain qualify for medical cannabis!

Qualifying patients whose healthcare providers are willing to certify them for the medical cannabis program can enroll through the Department of Health.

Until today, pain only qualified if it was “intractable,” meaning its “cause cannot be removed” and “the full range of [appropriate] pain management modalities … has been used without adequate result or with intolerable side effects.” Expanding the program to include “chronic pain” allows tens of thousands of additional pain patients to qualify and avoids steering them to more dangerous treatments.

Our allies at Sensible Minnesota petitioned the Department of Health to add chronic pain last year, and it recommended doing so. However, new conditions aren’t added to the program until the following summer to give the legislature a chance to reject them.

While the addition of “chronic pain” is welcome news, voters want the legislature to go further. According to Civiqs research, 67% of Minnesotans support allowing adults to use cannabis. Legalizing and regulating cannabis can grow the economy at a time when jobs and revenue are desperately needed. And, it is an essential piece of the needed policing and racial justice overhaul. Cannabis legalization removes the number one pretext for unnecessary civilian-police interactions — the supposed smell of cannabis.

Let your lawmakers know it’s past time to legalize marijuana. And stay tuned for a voter guide — so you can help elect a more supportive legislature.

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Share your story to help add ADHD, insomnia, and anxiety to Minnesota's medical cannabis program!

The Minnesota medical cannabis program is once again accepting petitions to add new qualifying medical conditions. This year, our allies at Sensible Minnesota — in partnership with MinnMed — are petitioning to add ADHD, insomnia, and anxiety.

Letters of support from healthcare professionals; individuals with ADHD, insomnia, or anxiety; and parents or guardians of minors with these conditions are needed! If you fall into one of these categories, share your perspective with our allies at Sensible Minnesota by sending them an email here. Sensible Minnesota will be submitting these letters of support along with the petition.

When Minnesota’s medical cannabis law passed in 2014, its list of qualifying conditions was among the most restrictive in the country — leaving behind huge numbers of patients. But, through several petitions, the program has expanded, allowing tens of thousands of additional patients to qualify. On August 1, chronic pain will be added to the program, thanks to last year’s petition that Sensible Minnesota spearheaded. In prior years, PTSD, intractable pain, autism, and obstructive sleep apnea were added by the health department.

Please forward this message to any of your friends, family, doctors, nurses, or others who may be interested in helping out. The deadline to submit petitions is July 31, so the clock is ticking! Act now to help expand Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.

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Ask Senate leadership to put patients first.

Exciting news! The Minnesota House included a provision to allow raw, whole plant medical cannabis in its version of the Health Policy Omnibus bill.

But the only way for this provision to make it past the finish line is if the Senate concurs. With only one day left to pass bills, we need you to contact Senator Michelle Benson (R) and Senator Paul Gazelka (R) NOW to concur with the House and put #patientsfirst.

You use our free advocacy software to send a quick email to both senators here. Then, consider following up with a call to Sen. Benson at 651-296-3219 and to Sen. Gazelka at 651-296-4875. To make a public plea, Sen. Gazelka’s Twitter handle is @paulgazelka and Sen. Benson’s is @SenatorBenson.

Be sure to be polite and respectful. We want to persuade, not alienate, Senate leaders. And consider sharing your personal experience if this bill would help you or a loved one.

Minnesota is one of only two medical cannabis states that forbid cannabis in its natural, flower form. This drives up costs, threatens the financial viability of cannabis businesses, and deprives patients of access to the form of medicine that works best for many.

The medical cannabis provision was offered by Rep. Pat Garofalo (R) and adopted with bipartisan support. The Senate can either concur (agree and pass the bill as amended, with the provision adding raw cannabis) or go to conference committee to remove the provision.

If you want to see this provision become law, call Sen. Benson and Sen. Gazelka as soon as possible and ask them to put #patientsfirst and concur with the House! Then, spread the word to other compassionate Minnesotans.

Many thanks to our friends at Sensible Minnesota for leading the charge on this effort!

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At long last, Minnesota plans to include chronic pain in its medical cannabis program. Unless the legislature overturns the Department of Health’s recent decision, chronic pain will be a qualifying condition for medical cannabis beginning in August 2020. The department also approved adding macular degeneration, effective next August. Qualifying patients must register with the state and submit a medical professional’s certification to access the program.

While “intractable pain” has been included in Minnesota’s program since August 2016, the restrictive definition leaves many pain patients behind. Finally, chronic pain patients will not be left to needlessly suffer or be steered to far more dangerous treatments. We’re grateful to our allies at Sensible Minnesota for spearheading this and other petitions to expand Minnesota’s medical cannabis program. MPP contributed a letter in support.

Upcoming “Be Heard on Cannabis” Community Conversations

In other news, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler’s “Be Heard on Cannabis” listening tour is continuing.

Maple Grove "Be Heard on Cannabis" Community Conversation
When: TOMORROW, Thursday, December 5, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Maple Grove Government Center, 12800 Arbor Lakes Pkwy N, Maple Grove, MN 55369

Austin "Be Heard on Cannabis" Community Conversation
When: Saturday, December 7, 11:00 a.m.
Where: Austin City Council Room, 500 4th Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912

Rochester "Be Heard on Cannabis" Community Conversation
When: Saturday, December 7, 3:00 p.m.
Where: Heintz Center at the Rochester Community and Technical College, 1926 Collegeview Rd E, Rochester, MN 55904

South Minneapolis "Be Heard on Cannabis" Community Conversation
When: Wednesday, December 18, 7:00 p.m.
Where: East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55404

Shakopee "Be Heard on Cannabis" Community Conversation
When: Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Shakopee VFW, 1201 3rd Ave E Shakopee, MN 55379

For a list of the hosts and panelists who will lead each community conversation, along with other cities "Be Heard on Cannabis" will visit, check out Rep. Winkler’s "Be Heard on Cannabis" webpage. And stay tuned for updates to the list.

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Submit a letter of support if you could benefit from allowing oral uptake delivery or from adding chronic pain or TBI to the program.

Minnesota's medical cannabis law started as one of the most restrictive in the nation. Thanks to the hard work of our allies at Sensible Minnesota and the voices of patients and providers, it has steadily been expanded via the Department of Health petition process. Intractable pain, PTSD, autism, and other conditions have been added administratively to include tens of thousands more patients.

Sensible Minnesota is now focused on expanding conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to allow oral uptake delivery. If you are a patient, caregiver, family member, healthcare provider, or someone else who could benefit from the addition of these conditions or delivery method, please consider providing a letter of support by the end of the day on Friday, July 26.

The National Academy of Sciences found there is conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis relieves chronic pain. Adding "chronic pain" would allow thousands more patients to qualify who do not fall under the restrictive definition of intractable pain.

Oral uptake delivery — which can be done with gums, lozenges, or mints — permits patients to absorb cannabinoids through the mucosal lining of the mouth. This means the patient doesn't need to swallow the product, which can take far longer to get into the bloodstream to provide relief.

If you are a pain or TBI patient who has already received benefit from medical cannabis, please consider providing a letter to share your story.

You can submit your letter of support using Sensible Minnesota's online form or via email to petitions@sensible.mn. If you have questions or would like more information, please reach out to petitions@sensible.mn.

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Yesterday, the Minnesota Department of Health approved adding Alzheimer’s disease as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, but rejected opioid use disorder, hepatitis C, traumatic brain injury, and insomnia.

Many thanks to Sensible Minnesota and to all the advocates and health professionals who were involved in petitioning to expand the program! Their dedicated work (with an assist from MPP) also resulted in the addition of intractable pain, PTSD, autism, and sleep apnea.

Under state law, Alzheimer’s disease patients will be able to apply for medical cannabis starting next summer.

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Last November, the Minnesota Department of Health approved adding autism spectrum disorders and obstructive sleep apnea as qualifying conditions for the state’s medical cannabis program. Under state law, the additions take effect the following summer.

Starting on July 1, 2018, patients with a doctor’s certification and either of those conditions could begin registering for the program. They can start accessing medical cannabis no sooner than August 1. Our allies at Sensible Minnesota offer one-on-one assistance to patients who need help navigating the process. Learn more here.

Congratulations to Sensible Minnesota and to all the advocates and health professionals who were involved in petitioning to expand the program!

Sensible Minnesota is now working on petitions to expand the program to include opioid use disorder, hepatitis C, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury, and insomnia.

If you are a Minnesota medical professional who might be willing to add your voice to the petition, contact Sensible Minnesota at 952-529-4420 or by email.

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Last year, MPP helped local advocates at Sensible Minnesota with their successful petition to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the state’s medical cannabis program. Patients suffering from this condition were able to enroll in the program last month, and starting August 1 they will be allowed to access medical cannabis.

Every year, the Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis accepts petitions to add new conditions, and this year was no exception. This year’s petitions were due this week, and MPP and Sensible Minnesota again submitted paperwork — including for nausea, Alzheimer’s, and autism. Thanks to everyone who shared their story with us to help build the case. Before deciding whether to add the condition, a review panel will hold a public hearing.

While Minnesota has a comprehensive medical marijuana program, it remains one of the most limited — and costly — in the country. One of the most significant remaining flaws is that patients are not permitted to consume whole plant (flower) cannabis.

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