Member: I’ve heard a lot about medicinal marijuana being legal in Minnesota. What does that mean and how does a patient receive medical marijuana? —Becca, Lauderdale
Doctor: To answer this question, I reached out to Blue Cross Medication Therapy Management pharmacist, Mary Jo Vierkant. Mary Jo, what can you tell us about medical marijuana?
Mary Jo: Medical marijuana, or medical cannabis, is now legal in Minnesota for patients with qualifying conditions and is available in pill form, oral solutions, oral tinctures, vaporizer form, and topical applications. It is illegal to smoke medical marijuana in Minnesota.
Dr.: How does a patient access these products?
MJ: First, the patient must be a Minnesota resident and then see a licensed health care practitioner to certify that they have a qualifying condition. To find out if a practitioner is able to certify patients for the cannabis program, just call and ask. Dr.: What happens after a patient is approved to receive medical cannabis?
MJ: Once a patient is certified by their provider, they register with the state and pay an annual fee. From there, it doesn’t take long for the patient to get approved and then they are able to go to a dispensary. There are two companies in the state with eight total dispensary locations.
At the dispensary, the patient will sit down with a pharmacist who will start the patient on specific doses of a cannabis product. The pharmacist will follow up with the patient throughout the program to adjust dosages as needed. Health insurance companies do not cover medical cannabis, so there are outof- pocket costs at this time.
For more information, visit the Minnesota Department of Health’s web page about Medical Cannabis and the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: A Guide for Patients.