Minnesota

Only registered "health care practitioners" can certify medical cannabis patients. The Minnesota Medical Marijuana Act defines health care practitioners as

• Minnesota-licensed doctor of medicine.
• Minnesota-licensed physician assistant acting within the scope of an authorized practice.
• Minnesota-licensed advanced practice registered nurse who has the primary responsibility for the care and treatment of the qualifying medical condition of a person diagnosed with a qualifying condition.

Health care practitioners must be registered in the Medical Cannabis Registry before certifying patients for the medical cannabis program. This includes creating a user account and completing the Health Care Practitioner Registration Form. 

Health care practitioners will need the following information to register: 

• General information: name, address, email, and phone.
• Your medical license.
• Your DEA license.
• General information about the clinic(s) where you practice

Create Your Account (Someone from the Division of Medical Cannabis will verify your identity). 

You will receive an email notification when your account is approved.

• • • Alzheimer's disease
    • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
    • Autism spectrum disorder (must meet DSM-5)
    • Cancer (*If the illness or its treatment produces one or more of the following: severe or chronic pain; nausea or severe vomiting; or cachexia or severe wasting)
    • Chronic motor or vocal tic disorder
    • Chronic pain
    • Glaucoma
    • HIV/AIDS
    • Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease
    • Intractable Pain
    • Irritable bowel syndrome
    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
    • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
    • Seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy
    • Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS)
    • Sickle cell disease
    • Terminal illness, with a probable life expectancy of less than one year*
    • Tourette syndrome
    • Any medical condition for which a patient’s health care practitioner has recommended, approved, or authorized the use of cannabis by that individual to treat the condition.

1. Health care practitioners will certify that your patient has a qualifying condition after conducting an exam, reviewing the patient's medical records, diagnostic tests, and laboratory results to confirm the diagnosis. Health care practitioners should develop an ongoing treatment plan for the patient's qualifying medical condition. NOTE: A patient must be a Minnesota resident to participate in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program. 

2. Log in to the Medical Cannabis Registry to complete the certification process: Registry Login

3. Click the "Certify Patient” under the Quick Links tab on your Practitioner home page.

4. Enter your patient's personal and contact information, and their qualifying medical condition(s).

Once you certify your patient, they will receive an email from the Office of Cannabis Management with instructions on completing their enrollment application.

Note: Certifying that your patient has a qualifying condition means you are available to manage their medical condition on an ongoing basis.

Patients who are enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Program must be recertified every three years.

• Registered patients may have another participating health care practitioner certify their condition.
• Participating health care practitioners can recertify patients up to 90 days before the patient's program enrollment expires.

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (Title III section 301) which became law on December 2, 2022, and the First Amendment (established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that doctors, and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options).

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