REGIONAL- Minnesotans with irritable bowel syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder will soon be able to use medical cannabis to ease their conditions after the Minnesota Department of Health recently approved their inclusion on the list of qualifying conditions.
“We are adding the new qualifying conditions to allow patients more therapy options for conditions that can be debilitating,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm.
The change won’t be immediate. Patients certified for the new conditions will become eligible to enroll in the medical cannabis program on July 1, 2023 and receive medical cannabis from either of the state’s two medical cannabis manufacturers starting Aug. 1, 2023. By law, Minnesota patients are restricted from buying medical cannabis outside of the state.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, and irregular bowel movements that can result in diarrhea, constipation, both diarrhea and constipation, or bloating. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurring, intrusive thoughts that often cause significant emotional distress and anxiety. This can lead to behaviors that the affected person feels compelled to perform to reduce that distress. Research has shown that people who suffer from these conditions can see benefits from using medical cannabis to treat their symptoms.
Since Minnesota became the 22nd state to legalize medical cannabis in 2014, the number of qualifying conditions has increased from nine to 17 and will reach 19 once the new conditions are officially enacted in July.
Qualifying conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), autism spectrum disorder, cancer, 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, sickle cell disease, terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than one year, and Tourette syndrome. Cancer and terminal illness have additional qualifying restrictions.
Public petitions for gastroparesis and opioid use disorder were not approved this year due to a lack of medical evidence showing that medical cannabis is effective for these conditions.
More information about Minnesota’s medical cannabis program can be found online at https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis.