Health Department Surveying Prospective Medical Marijuana Patients
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Starting July 1, medical marijuana will become legal in Minnesota.
Before that happens, the Minnesota Department of Health wants to know more about the people who are going to use it, and time is running out.
"It's a six question survey that's intended to get some data about the kinds of conditions that people thinking may qualify them for medical cannabis," Manny Munson-Regala, assistant commissioner of the Health Systems Bureau, said.
They survey closes on Friday. What health officials want to know is where those who would use medical cannabis live, their age, whether or not they're going to qualify for a reduced registration fee and whether they're likely to use a caregiver.
Here is a list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana under Minnesota law:
- Cancer with severe/chronic pain.
- Cancer with nausea or severe vomiting.
- Cancer with cachexia or severe wasting.
- Glaucoma.
- HIV/AIDS.
- Tourette's syndrome.
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
- Seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy.
- Severe and persistence muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis.
- Terminal illness (life expectancy of less than one year) with severe/chronic pain.
- Terminal illness (life expectancy of less than one year) with nausea or severe vomiting.
- Terminal illness (life expectancy of less than one year) with cachexia or severe wasting.
The data will also tell medical marijuana growers what kinds of medications they should formulate.
"For example if there's a larger number of people with MS (multiple sclerosis) the kind of ratio of cannabinoids in the final product is going to be different," Munson-Regala said.
So far, the Minnesota Department of Health has interviewed about 1,100 potential patients, but they're hoping for more. Munson-Regala said looking at the data right now, he can tell there's going to be a great demand in Minnesota.
