Despite the state of Minnesota’s adoption of medical marijuana for qualifying patients, many users on the registry have found ample room for improvement.
According to a new report from the Pioneer Press, the state’s medical marijuana program has presented users with extremely overpriced marijuana despite the fact they rely on the substance for their own health and wellness. [1]
Currently, 15,000 Minnesotans are on the registry for medical marijuana, but that number has fluctuated in the time since the state legislature legalized medical marijuana in 2014. [2] 3,400 patients fell off the rolls last year, The Pioneer Press reported. [1]
There are only two companies in Minnesota who can legally grow and sell medical marijuana and related products. They are Leafline Labs and Minnesota Medical Solutions, but they’ve had major losses since their state charter to operate was signed into law.
Not only do companies face the onerous restrictions of the medical marijuana regime in the state, but also users. The enrollment fee is $200 for users, and some report having to pay as much as $400 per month to keep meet their medical marijuana needs.
Some told The Pioneer Press they have simply ditched the registry to return to standard, black-market weed. [1]
According to MPR News, the broader fight coming to the Minnesota state legislature over full recreational marijuana legalization will likely be highly influenced by experiences so far in the medical marijuana sector. [2]
The two bills moving through the Minnesota state house and senate to legalize recreational marijuana sales were introduced in late January. Despite early cautions from Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and other Republicans in the state congress, support from Governor Tim Walz and many representatives means the legislature is in for a fight this session. [2]
Despite the many open questions about the future of both medical and recreational marijuana use in the state of Minnesota, many of the arguments about what works for plenty of cannabis users are left out of the discussions.
Marijuana, after all, is not the only cannabis product people use to ease their personal situations and wellness. Thousands of Minnesota residents and people around the country rely on another cannabinoid compound from hemp, CBD, for their pain, anxiety, insomnia and forms of epilepsy.
There are myriad CBD products and brands and methods of use out there. Truly, the young and growing market for CBD products is a veritable ocean of possibilities, and finding an anchor point within it is often challenging.
Luckily, Minnesotans have options to navigate these waters. Nothing But Hemp, for instance, is a company dedicated to educating neighbors in the Twin Cities area about CBD products.
At any of Nothing But Hemp’s locations – found in Uptown Minneapolis, Maplewood Mall on White Bear Avenue, and Forest Lake – visitors can be sure to find the information and products they need in order to start using CBD to better their standard of living today.
Sources
[1] https://www.twincities.com/2019/03/10/medical-marijuana-works-but-its-too-costly-for-patients-and-growers/
[2] https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/01/29/marijuana-minnesota-legalizing-lessons-states