Minnesota’s medical marijuana law was first passed in 2014, enacted in 2015, and revised to include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2016. Still a work in progress, officials within the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will debate the expansion of the state’s medical cannabis program today – Tuesday, Oct. 10 – at the State Office Building in St. Paul Minnesota at 1 p.m.
Autism, nausea, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, and a host of other medical conditions will be considered as qualifying ailments by the MDH at today’s meeting.
One of the more tightly regulated medical marijuana programs in the country, Minnesota’s current list of qualifying illnesses is limited to these 11 conditions:
- Cancer/wasting syndrome
- Glaucoma
- HIV/AIDS
- Tourette Syndrome
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
- Epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis, muscle spasms
- Crohn’s disease/inflammatory bowels
- Terminal Illness – life expectancy of less than one year
- Intractable pain
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Patient Base Grows
Minnesota’s newly proposed expansion of qualifying conditions is anticipated to help cultivate a larger patient base for the state’s anemic program. According to the MDH, “as of September 28, 2017, there were 7,022 patients actively enrolled in the patient registry, an increase of 4,216 from the 2,806 enrolled on September 29, 2016.”
Those interested in helping add a “qualifying condition” to Minnesota’s list can petition the department of health on an annual basis – between June 1 and July 31. During that window of opportunity, the MDH accepts petitions for inclusion from the public.
credit:marijuana.com
