Just follow these simple steps to get your MMJ card in Minnesota.
1) Gather your medical records. Minnesota’s medical marijuana program requires you to be certified as having one of the qualifying medical conditions before you can enroll in the program. You can find the list of qualifying conditions in the FAQs below.
2) Get your MMJ evaluation. In order to join the program, you’ll need to be certified for medical marijuana treatment by a licensed doctor of medicine, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse. This doctor, physician assistant or APRN must be the person who is primarily responsible for treating your medical condition.
3) Get your recommendation to use cannabis. Once you and your practitioner have decided that you qualify for the program, print the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program Patient E-Mail and Acknowledgement Form, fill out your name, DoB and Email address and give this form to your practitioner. While you are there, ask for a visit summary that lists all of your medications and medical conditions so this information can be provided to the pharmacist at your cannabis patient center.
4) Wait for your doctor to fill out your application with the state. Your practitioner will apply for your patient certification with the state.
5) Finish the registration process. Once you’re certified, the Office of Medical cannabis will send you an email at the address you provided on the form you gave to your physician. This email will have an information sheet and a link for you to finish the registration process online.
Your certification is good for only 90 days, so you will have to make an appointment with your doctor every 3 months to re-certify. It can take up to 30 days to process an initial application.
The registration fee for the program must be paid annually by credit or debit card and is $200. Those who are on SSI, SSD, Medicaid, IHS, MNCare or CHAMPVA can pay a reduced fee of $50 if they can provide proof of status during their application.
The Minnesota Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton in May 2014. As enacted, it was the single most restrictive program in the country. It only allowed treatment for nine very severe conditions and only allowed treatment via oil, liquids or pills.
Since then, restrictions have eased slightly with intractable pain and PTSD being added to the list. In August 2020, age-related macular degeneration and chronic pain will be added to the list. This will make the program much more inclusive.
There are also efforts underway to completely legalize cannabis. Governor Tim Walz is a very strong supporter of legalization, but the Republican state senators killed the most recent legalization attempt on March 8, 2019.
The effort to legalize is still underway with proposals to create a task force to study legalization, and a possible future constitutional amendment ballot question to let voters decide the issue.