Minnesota Adds Intractable Pain as a Qualifying Condition

The Minnesota Department of Health has decided to add intractable pain to its list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use. As of August 1, 2016, patients in Minnesota diagnosed as having intractable pain will qualify to use medical marijuana.

Patients can obtain medical marijuana from currently operating Minnesota dispensaries: LeafLine Labs in Eagen and Minnesota Medical Solutions in Minneapolis and Rochester.

“The relative scarcity of firm evidence made this a difficult decision,” mentioned Minnesota’s Health Commissioner. “However, given the strong medical focus of Minnesota’s medical cannabis program and the compelling testimony of hundreds of Minnesotans, it became clear that the right and compassionate choice was to add intractable pain to the program’s list of qualifying conditions. This gives new options for clinicians and new hope for suffering patients.”

Intractable pain in defined by Minnesota medical marijuana law as a condition “in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated with the consent of the patient and in which, in the generally accepted course of medical practice, no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible, or none has been found after reasonable efforts.”

“We welcome the opportunity to help Minnesotans who have incurable or intractable pain,” a LeafLine Labs dispensary spokesperson. “The stories we hear from our patients, and the testimony many people provided to the Department, illustrate the magnitude of their suffering. Untreated pain is a serious public health problem in our state and country.”

With this compassionate decision by Minnesota’s Department of Health, Minnesota joins the majority of other medical marijuana states that also include chronic pain as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.