SAINT PAUL, MN — Pain patients in Minnesota can now find hope, as they are now able to access the state’s year-old medical marijuana program.
Supporters of this move believe it will provide thousands of patients with a safer alternative to prescription opioids and allow them to prevent or overcome dependency on prescription-based painkillers.
Minnesota legalized medical marijuana in 2014, allowing smoke-free forms of the substance to be consumed by those with doctors’ recommendations. The medical marijuana program took effect in 2015, and starting July 2016, patients with incurable pain could register for the program, though they could not legally purchase the medicine until Monday, August 1.
The patient advocacy group Sensible Minnesota has praised this decision. The group’s leader, Maren Schroeder, has campaigned for state legislators to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying conditions next year.