Some medical marijuana patients in Minnesota are overwhelmed with red tape at the state's new cannabis control agency.
And they are running out of patience.
“I haven't smoked marijuana in 26 days,” said Jason Requier, a licensed medical marijuana patient since 2015.
LeCuyer was diagnosed with HIV in 2008. On bad days I can barely get out of bed.
He says medical marijuana, or cannabis, saved his life. He realized its benefits this summer when it became unavailable when he needed it.
“It's hard to admit that you're suffering,” he says.
Earlier this summer, LeCuyer, along with countless others, was trapped in a system overwhelmed with new patients and patients seeking to renew their certifications.
After submitting his annual renewal paperwork, LeCuyer received the following email: “Due to the large number of applications being submitted, the wait time for approval may be longer than expected. It may take up to 30 days.”
He said it used to take a day or two.
“Can you imagine a patient who has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy and is dependent on this drug? Are you going to withhold that drug from them for up to a month? That's not acceptable. I think so,” he said.
The state's new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) acknowledges the backlog began this summer after a change in state law. Some of the changes dramatically removed barriers to medical marijuana, rendering the list of covered medical conditions essentially meaningless.
Now, if a doctor says cannabis could help, a patient is approved.
A spokesperson for the agency also said that the number of applications this year has increased by 16%.
OCMs should be in a position to anticipate problems, says Maren Schroeder, co-founder of a patient advocacy nonprofit and current director of advocacy at Blunt Strategies.
“I think it's natural for patients to be frustrated, especially when things change,” said Maren Schroeder, co-founder of the group.
Schroeder noted that the problem escalated as soon as the health care program transitioned from the state Department of Health (MDH) to OCM this summer.
“While this program was still at MDH, we were definitely blessed because the leadership over there made sure to prioritize patients,” she said. “As the program moved from MDH to OCM, it is now under different leadership from different people, and I personally feel it has become less responsive.”
Earlier this summer, OCM interim director Charlene Briner suggested to Five Inquiries that OCM was still figuring out all the important things to get the industry back on track.
“While we're building the plane, we're literally flying the plane. And, you know, we're also putting the pieces together, so it's a lot of work,” she said. said.
OCM spokesman Josh Collins said the backlog is part of a perfect storm but will soon ease as IT upgrades and the initial surge in new patients subside. .
Collins also said that issue would also be remedied by the fact that medical marijuana certifications are valid for three years without having to be renewed every year. Patients enrolled in the program received an email notifying them of this change.
The development of Minnesota's new cannabis industry continues to face challenges. Last year, the agency's first director resigned the day after taking office.
Gov. Tim Walz has not yet named a replacement.
OCM is still developing regulations for recreational cannabis. The goal remains the same. The aim is to have the pharmacy operational by next spring.
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