NEW HOPE, Minnesota – We’re about three months away from recreational marijuana becoming legal in Minnesota, but that big change will surely lead to other changes when it comes to medical marijuana.
More than 48,000 Minnesotans already purchase cannabis through the state’s medical marijuana program, which began enrolling in 2015. Two licensed retailers, RISE and Green Goods, together operate fifteen pharmacy locations in the state.
“I had such a stigma about it and when I tried it, I will never go back. I will always use medical marijuana,” said Chelsea Swanson, a St. Francis patient. “It’s helped my nausea, my pain, and it’s helped me function. I stopped taking prescription medications and it’s because of marijuana.”
Swanson drives nearly 30 miles to shop at a New Hope dispensary, but she won’t necessarily have to travel that far or enroll in a regulatory program once recreational dispensaries open in Minnesota, which could happen as soon as next year.
Still, Swanson insisted it’s worth the trip.
“What you get here is top quality. It’s something that is grown and made in Minnesota,” she explained. “The plant is a plant, except we know it is grown here and it is not under any harmful chemicals, fertilizers or anything like that.”
However, if transitions in other states are any indication, the medical cannabis industry will likely take a hit once recreational pot gets the green light in Minnesota. According to data from Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency, drug sales totaled about $1.2 million in August 2024, while sales of recreational products totaled a whopping $294 million.
State officials from Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management argue that the protocols regulating medical marijuana are the basis for what will govern general adult use: Everything from seed to sale happens in Minnesota, not to mention the cannabis plant and its manner in which it is grown will be subject to the same. safety standards.
Where things are different, however, is at the checkout, because medical marijuana remains tax-free.
“Every dollar counts, especially in this economy,” Swanson said. “If I were to raise taxes on it, it would be a few hundred dollars a year for me.”
The other difference, according to state officials, is that recreational marijuana still has possession and potency restrictions, while medical marijuana does not.
In addition to competing with the recreational market, the drug market will see other changes in 2025, including lowering the $200 annual patient registration fee. Also next year, patients will have to be recertified by a doctor every three years instead of every year.
Additional changes to the medical program under the new law include allowing patients in programs in other states to purchase products in Minnesota under a “visiting patient option” that begins in two years, and the age limit for registered health care providers to purchase cannabis flower will be reduced from 21 to 18.
