The Minnesota Health Department confirmed, for 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, that there are now two confirmed/probable cases of people with respiratory illnesses in the state’s medical cannabis program. In an e-mail, a Health Department spokesperson said “Of Minnesota’s 61 cases listed as confirmed/probable, two are enrolled in the medical cannabis program. Both cases also reported vaping […]
Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Walz wants state to be ready to roll on legal marijuana
Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use in Minnesota still faces a big hurdle in the Republican-controlled Senate, but that hasn’t stopped DFL Gov. Tim Walz from preparing for its potential passage. Walz said last week he has directed relevant state agencies to be ready next year to implement the law if a bill ends up reaching his […]
MN medical marijuana companies lost a combined $2.4 million in 2018. But they are optimistic about their future.
Minnesota’s two medical marijuana companies lost a combined $2.4 million in 2018, adding to years of losses that have largely been driven by the state’s tightly regulated program. Leafline Labs, which has never had a profitable year, reported a net income loss of $1.8 million in 2018, according to financial documents obtained by the Pioneer […]
How Minnesota can fix its medical marijuana market
Minnesota’s medical marijuana program has struggled for years as the flaws in its design have caused issue after issue. New patients are leaving the program in droves, turning to the black market or prescription opioids because they cannot afford the processed pills and oils that are legal. Growers are losing millions because of a strict tax […]
Minnesota measure would legalize marijuana by 2022
Senate GOP leader dismissed bill, saying legalization is not a priority. Minnesotans over 21 would could buy and use marijuana legally by 2022 as part of a proposal that would give the state significant power and oversight of a recreational cannabis program. The state would regulate all aspects of the local marijuana industry, enforcing health […]
Minnesota OKs Medical Marijuana to Treat Alzheimer’s
Minnesota Alzheimer’s disease patients will be eligible to use medical marijuana in their treatment starting next August. State Health Department officials Monday they’ve added Alzheimer’s as qualifying condition to receive medical cannabis. The decision, part of the department’s regular process to review requests for treatment, means patients suffering from the crippling neurological disorder can enroll […]
Appeals Court Confronts Clash Over Pot Laws, and Feds Win
Minnesota judge had no discretion to OK probationer’s medical marijuana use, Eighth Circuit panel says. A federal appeals panel on Friday affirmed a Minnesota district court’s ruling that bars a felon from using state-legal medical marijuana while he is on supervised release. Three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit said […]
Minnesota Medical Marijuana Patients Experiencing Shortages
Several Minnesotans say they are struggling to get their prescribed medicine that they consider life-changing. LeafLine Labs is one of two medical marijuana companies in the state. Some of its patients have to wait nearly a week to get their prescriptions filled. Kellie Germin uses medical marijuana to treat her post traumatic stress disorder. “As hard […]
Minnesota Lawmakers Want to Start the Conversation on Legal Marijuana
Nine Minnesota lawmakers want to ask the public: Should Minnesota legalize personal use of marijuana? The nine — all Democrats in a Republican-controlled House — proposed a constitutional amendment to ask Minnesotans that question. But the chief backers know the question is unlikely to make it to voters’ 2018 ballots. “This is a conversation starter. […]
Minnesota Medical Marijuana Manufacturers Report Huge Losses
Minnesota’s two licensed medical marijuana manufacturers each posted millions of dollars in losses in their first full year of operations, according to financial documents obtained by The Associated Press. Minnesota Medical Solutions posted a $3 million loss in 2015, a period that included the rush to build up facilities, grow and cultivate medicine and the […]
Medical Marijuana Sales Begin Today In Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Judy Bjerke Severson wants to be normal — visit friends and family, go to the grocery store or even sleep in her own bed — but she says the crippling pain from fibromyalgia and back surgery complications, as well as a painkiller-induced fog, have made her a shell of her former self. Monday […]
Minnesota to Allow Pain Patients Into Its Medical Marijuana Program
Minnesota’s medical marijuana program, struggling with a lack of patients, will open its doors to pain patients next summer. Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger announced Wednesday that the state will add intractable pain to the shortlist of conditions that allow Minnesotans to legally use medical marijuana. “The existing tools are not working well” to manage pain, […]
Last Word – Black Market Blues, or What We Can Learn From Minnesota’s Missteps
Is the marijuana black market really a big problem? I never thought it was. I knew it was out there, or course, but I always subscribed to the common wisdom that marijuana legalization would eventually render the black market moot. But, what if that is not the case? The Motley Fool raised this issue recently […]
Minnesota Medical Marijuana Producers Give in, Offer a Price Break
Both of Minnesota’s medical marijuana producers offered patients a price break this week. Minnesota legalized marijuana as a medication in July and set up a strictly limited, tightly regulated system designed to be as clinical and nonrecreational as possible. But that doesn’t mean that the state’s two designated medical marijuana companies aren’t competing for your […]
Cost of Medical Marijuana Pushing Minnesota Patients Back to Buying on the Street
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Just two months after Minnesota launched its medical marijuana program, some patients turned off by high costs say they are back to buying the drug illegally because it’s the only way they can afford it. State officials and the companies hired to make marijuana products trumpeted the program’s medical approach — […]
Manufacturer Price Hike Brings Sticker Shock For Minnesota Medical Patients
ST. PAUL, Minn. — One of Minnesota’s medical marijuana manufacturers has raised its prices substantially after less than a month in business, adding to a cost that many patients are already struggling to cover. Dr. Kyle Kingsley of Minnesota Medical Solutions told the Associated Press Thursday that the company raised prices on its pills, vapors […]
For the Sickest Minnesotans, Wednesday Is the Day Medical Marijuana is Legal
The first registered medical marijuana patient in Minnesota toddled across sunlit grass and into his mother’s arms. Three-year-old Wyatt sputtered happily as Jessica Hauser swung him up, up into the air to settle on her hip. Then Wyatt’s eyelids fluttered and his head thumped against her shoulder as he sagged in her arms. Another seizure. […]
Desperate Minnesota Patients Look For Doctors Who Will Sign Them Up for Medical Marijuana
Turned down by her doctors, Deanna Jean Ryther turned to Craigslist in search of someone — anyone — willing to help her enroll in Minnesota’s new medical marijuana program. “Seeking Medical Professionals willing to refer Patients for MMJ,” she posted on the Rochester Craigslist community page Tuesday. “Myself and others have been denied support by […]
