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 […]
Minnesota
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 Farmer Plants State’s First Industrial Hemp Crop in 66 Years
HASTINGS, Minn. – Last week, John Strohfus became part of state history as the Hastings-based farmer had the honor of planting the first industrial hemp crop in Minnesota since 1950. The business consultant and second generation small family farmer received the hemp seeds from Canada last week as one of seven farms participating in the […]
Survey: Minnesota Doctors Are Hesitant on Medical Marijuana Program
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A new survey shows many doctors in Minnesota are reluctant to accept medical marijuana as a treatment option. The survey was released Tuesday to the state’s Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research. It was conducted by task force member Dr. Charles Reznikoff, an addiction specialist at Hennepin County Medical Center […]
New Potent Marijuana Strain Could Cut Medical Cannabis Costs in Minnesota
New marijuana strain could slash medical cannabis costs A new strain of marijuana plant could slash costs for medical cannabis users in Minnesota. Otsego-based Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of two medical cannabis operators in the state, announced the creation of a new strain with a higher cannabidiol (CBD) content than any cannabis plant known. The […]
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, […]
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 […]
Hemp Harvested in Minnesota For First Time in 60 Years
Minnesota hemp was legally harvested Wednesday in Minnesota for the first time in more than 60 years. The Industrial Hemp Development Act of 2015 allowed researchers from the University of Minnesota to collect wild hemp to be studied. On Wednesday, researchers scoured the overgrown grounds of Fort Snelling for the wild cannabis. “These belong to […]
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 — […]
Medical Marijuana Patients in Minnesota Hit With a Big Price Hike
Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of the state’s two medical weed manufacturers, has jacked up prices by 15-20 percent on all its products, forcing chronically ill patients to head back to the streets to treat their pain. MinnMed CEO Dr. Kyle Kingsley blames the hikes on a trifecta of problems. Not enough people are enrolled in […]
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 […]
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 […]
More Than 100 Health Providers Apply For Minnesota’s Medical Marijuana Program
One week in, more than 100 health providers have signed up to certify patients for medical cannabis. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 54 out of 104 health professionals who applied, including doctors, got the green light from the state to certify patients to receive medical marijuana for treatment of a qualifying condition, such […]
Many Minnesota Doctors Won’t Sign-Up Patients For Medical Marijuana
Large numbers of Minnesota doctors say they won’t sign their patients up for medical marijuana. Two-thirds of physicians who responded to a Minnesota Medical Association survey this week said they will not participate in the state’s medical cannabis registry. Just 9 percent of respondents said they would be certifying patients. Medical marijuana will be legal […]
Minnesota Doctors Can Now Sign Up Qualified Patients for Medical Marijuana
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota officials can now start signing up qualified patients for medical marijuana. This comes one month before medical marijuana becomes available, by law, from state-run dispensaries. Minnesota Medical Solutions CEO Dr. Kyle Kingsley said their growing facility at a high-security location in Otsego is on schedule harvesting plants and extracting elements that go […]
Minnesota’s Medical Marijuana System Takes Doctors Out of the Picture
Minnesota doctors are counting down the weeks to the launch of the state’s medical marijuana program with the same mix of hope, curiosity or concern as many of their patients. Unlike their patients though, doctors will be watching from the sidelines this summer. They won’t write the prescriptions or decide how strong a dose of […]
Minnesota Gearing Up For State’s Medical Marijuana Era
Minnesota’s marijuana makeover was kicked into high gear Tuesday with a tour of a new cannabis-growing plant. “Nine months ago, this was all farmland. It’s pretty amazing,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, CEO of Minnesota Medical Solutions, as he led reporters through his sleek new plant in Otsego, about 35 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The high-tech, […]
Minnesota Gearing Up For Summer Rollout of Restrictive Medical Marijuana Law
Police chiefs across the state are preparing for the launch of Minnesota’s medical marijuana program this summer. Minnesota passed one of the country’s most restrictive medical marijuana laws last year. It prohibits personally growing marijuana or smoking marijuana and can be prescribed for less than a dozen conditions. Kevin Sabet, a former senior adviser at […]
