Minnesota has made a significant shift in its approach to medical cannabis, empowering physicians to have the final say in recommending cannabis, thus rendering the state’s previously stringent list of qualifying medical conditions essentially obsolete.
As of July 1, 2024, this change allows for a more flexible approach, aligning with the growing acceptance of marijuana’s medical benefits.
“It just doesn’t fit anymore to have one of the nation’s most restrictive lists of qualifying conditions,” said state Sen. Lindsey Port (D), a key advocate of the legislation. “We want to ensure that if someone has a condition that cannabis can help with, their doctor can guide them to the right kind of cannabis. With the legal market open, there’s no reason to limit what doctors can prescribe because people will be able to access a variety of cannabis products.”
This new policy marks a pivotal moment in Minnesota’s cannabis legislation and could set a precedent for other states grappling with the medical versus recreational cannabis debate, as noted by the Star Tribune, which first reported the story.
Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana and home cultivation in May 2023.
Under the new law, Minnesotans will no longer need to undergo the cumbersome annual process to petition for the inclusion of new medical conditions. Any condition is now acceptable if a doctor recommends cannabis. However, petitions for new methods of consumption, such as gummies and smokeable forms, will still be considered.
The legislation also allows the cultivation of up to eight cannabis plants by individuals authorized by a doctor or those caring for medical marijuana patients.
Despite the approval for home cultivation, experience from other states suggests that few people might choose this route as recreational cannabis use and availability increase. However, Port emphasized the importance of maintaining a medical cannabis framework, particularly for minors who benefit from its therapeutic properties but cannot access recreational cannabis.
“If we’re not thoughtful about how we do it, the recreational market could overshadow the medical market,” Port said.
Minnesota’s medical cannabis program, which began in 2015, initially included only eight conditions. Over the years, this list expanded to 19, driven by mounting evidence of cannabis’s efficacy in treating diverse ailments such as intractable pain and PTSD. The program’s enrollment grew from 18,000 in 2019 to 48,000 participants, further boosted by the introduction of a recreational marketplace.