PHARMACY
Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program A look back and a look ahead BY NICK LEHNERTZ, MD, MPH, MHS, AND PETER RAEKER, MA
S
ince it first launched in 2015, Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program has provided health care practitioners a treatment option for patients who sometimes are facing debilitating medical conditions, helping to improve their quality of life.
Change and growth have been constant for the program. When the Minnesota Legislature authorized the creation of the state’s Medical Cannabis Program in 2014, the law included nine medical conditions that qualified a patient to receive medical cannabis. Since then, the list of qualifying conditions has grown to 15, with two new conditions becoming eligible in August 2021. The program has seen steady growth in other ways. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the program had 1,778 health care practitioners – which include Minnesota-licensed medical doctors, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses – who can certify patients to receive medical cannabis. That is an increase of 10% or 166 additional practitioners from the previous year.
As of Sept. 30, 2020, there were 25,356 patients actively enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Registry, up 41% or 7,395 patients from the same time in 2019. The current active patient number is slightly inflated because patient enrollments are not expiring during the COVID-19 pandemic (see ‘How COVID-19 impacted program operations’).
New Cannabis Patient Centers open Growth in the program in 2020 also means that patients across Minnesota have more options to getting their medicine closer to home. State law now allows Minnesota’s two medical cannabis manufacturers (Leafline Labs and Vireo Health of Minnesota) to each operate up to eight dispensaries, double the amount the legislature originally authorized when medical cannabis was first legalized. Leafline Labs opened a new Cannabis Patient Center in Willmar in April 2020, with new centers planned for Mankato, Golden Valley, and Rogers. They already operate dispensaries in Eagan, Hibbing, St. Cloud, and St. Paul. Vireo Health opened new dispensaries in Hermantown, Blaine, Burnsville, and Woodbury in 2020. The company already has locations in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Moorhead, and Rochester. Their Cannabis Patient Centers operate under the name of Green Goods.
How COVID-19 impacted program operations
Specialists in Musculoskeletal Pain Treatment
Effective Non-Opioid Treatment Evidence-based Biopsychosocial Approach Active Therapy Multidisciplinary Care Team Quality Outcome Reporting
PDR Outcomes
• 67% of patients rate their pain reduction between 50-100%
• 74% of patients rate their headache reduction between 50-100% • 64% of patients rate their use of medications decreased 50-100% • 109% increase in Lumbar Extension ROM & strength • 165% increase in Cervical Rotation ROM & strength
Scheduling 952.908.2750
Edina | Chanhassen | Burnsville Coon Rapids | Maplewood
www.PDRclinics.com 14
JANUARY 2021 MINNESOTA PHYSICIAN
Minnesota’s health care system experienced significant disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state took action early to allow for telemedicine options for patients and health care practitioners who are participating in the Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program. On March 31, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an Executive Order that ensured the continuing operations of the Medical Cannabis Program during the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency (read the full text of the Executive Order at mn.gov/governor/assets/Signed%20 EO%2020-26%20Filed_tcm1055-425757.pdf). COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for people with serious underlying health conditions. Many patients participating in Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program are seriously ill and often immunocompromised. The Executive Order is making it easier for patients to stay at home and limit their interactions with people outside of their home, reducing the risks associated with COVID-19. Among the key provisions of the Executive Order, participating health care practitioners can certify a patient’s qualifying medical condition after a visit through videoconference, telephone, or other remote means; the Executive Order temporarily waives the requirement that the certification be made only after an in-person visit. The certifying health care practitioner must still meet the applicable professional standards of care when certifying a patient’s qualifying medical condition. Normally, patients are also required to re-enroll on an annual basis; the Executive Order extends enrollments that are expiring during the pandemic to 60 days after the peacetime emergency ends.
