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Minnesota Adds Qualifying Conditions for Medical Cannabis Treatment

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The Minnesota Department of Health announced that it will be adding new qualifying medical conditions to the state’s current medical cannabis program, including sickle cell disease and chronic vocal or motor tic disorder.

These newly approved conditions are based on petitions submitted by residents asking for their conditions to be covered. “Giving sickle cell patients a more direct pathway into the medical cannabis program will permit them a non-opioid option to manage their pain,” said Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm.

While Minnesota already includes Tourette’s syndrome as a qualifying condition, some people suffer from vocal or motor tics, but don’t necessarily suffer from Tourette’s. Advocates and patients who are petitioning the state wanted to make sure that those people were covered as well, as research has shown that medical cannabis can greatly help with tics. “This change will allow people who have either vocal or motor tics to participate in Minnesota’s medical cannabis program,” Malcolm added.

However, some people are disappointed that conditions such as anxiety were not included as a qualifying condition. “Anxiety is a broad term for a group of specific disorders,” said Malcolm. “We want to dig into specific anxiety disorders more and move forward carefully. The large number of patient testimonials submitted during the petition process tells us there is something there. However, we want to avoid unintended consequences—there is evidence that cannabis use can actually contribute to and make anxiety worse for some people. We recognize that this is the third time anxiety has been petitioned for the medical cannabis program, and we thank everyone for their thoughtful comments in support of the petition,” said Malcolm.

Patients who suffer from sickle cell disease or chronic motor/vocal tic disorder in Minnesota will be able to apply to the medical cannabis program on July 1, 2021, with an official roll-out in August 2021.

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