North Dakotans Can Get Weed For Anxiety- Minnesota Can Not.
Minnesotans suffering from anxiety were more anxious than usual as they awaited Wednesday's decision from the Minnesota Department of Health. Would their medical anxiety condition qualify them for medical marijuana? There are currently 17 qualifying health issues for medical marijuana in Minnesota and anxiety ain't one of them.
Wednesday, the Department stated they would stick with the current 17 conditions.
I'm certain the news hit the medical marijuana growers and dispensers the hardest. Accepting anxiety as a qualifying condition would have shot demand through the roof. At least it did in North Dakota, where AP News reports that two years ago, ND added anxiety to the list of accepted uses two years ago and anxiety rapidly became the most commonly cited condition in the state.
So Minnesota may have just lost themselves a hefty amount of money.
State Health Commissioner Jan Malcomb had this to add...
"There’s not enough scientific evidence of benefits of medical cannabis use when compared to the possibility of “unintended consequences." We received many comments from health care practitioners treating patients with anxiety disorder, and they urged us to not approve it as a qualifying medical condition”
I've known people who, when they smoke weed, skip right past anxiety onto full-blown paranoia. Of course, I've also known folks that get mighty anxious if they're all out of weed.
In North Dakota, you need to have a bona fide provider-patient relationship. One would presume Minnesota is much the same. Could the patient and physician not just monitor the usage and benefit. Here is the list of conditions that qualify in North Dakota. Yes, anxiety disorder is on the list.
Minnesota there is some good news...
They just approved Gummies! Plus in 2022 you can start getting dried raw smokable cannabis. Maybe it will come in a sandwich bag like you used to get from your old hook-up guy "Smokey Larry"