Executive Summary:
In May 2014, Minnesota became the 22nd state to create a medical cannabis program. Distribution of extracted cannabis products in liquid or oil form to qualified, enrolled patients began July 1, 2015. Intractable pain was added to the list of qualifying conditions for the program effective August 1, 2016. Intractable pain is defined in the program as, “pain whose cause cannot be removed and, according to generally accepted medical practice, the full range of pain management modalities appropriate for this patient has been used without adequate result or with intolerable side effects.” This report draws on data from enrollment, purchasing, symptom and side effect ratings at time of each purchase, and survey results to describe the experience of patients newly enrolled in the program for intractable pain during the first five months it was a qualifying condition. Full report here. Helpful summary of results here.