The future of medical marijuana in Minnesota

NEW HOPE, Minn. — We’re roughly three months away from recreational marijuana becoming legal to sell and purchase in Minnesota, but that big change is sure to lead to other changes when it comes to medical marijuana.

More than 48,000 Minnesotans already purchase cannabis thanks to the state’s medical marijuana program, which began enrolling in 2015. Two licensed retailers, RISE and Green Goods, operate 15 dispensary locations between them across the state.

“I had such a stigma on it and when I gave it a try, I will never go back. I will always be on medical marijuana,” Chelsea Swanson, a patient from St. Francis said. “It has helped with my nausea, with my pain, and it has helped me function. I have gotten off prescription drugs and it is because of marijuana.”

Swanson drives nearly 30 miles to shop at a dispensary in New Hope, but she wouldn’t necessarily have to travel that far or enroll in any regulatory program once recreational dispensaries open in Minnesota, which could happen as soon as next year.

Still, Swanson insisted it is worth the trip.

“What you are getting here is top quality. It is something grown and made in Minnesota,” she explained. “The plant is a plant, except for we know it’s grown here and it’s not under any harmful chemicals or fertilizers or anything else like that.”

If other states’ transitions are any indication though, the medical cannabis industry is likely to take a hit once recreational weed gets the green light in Minnesota. According to data from Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency, medicinal sales grossed roughly $1.2M in August 2024, while recreational sales topped a whopping $294 million.

State officials at Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management maintain the protocols regulating medical marijuana are the foundation for what will govern general adult use: everything seed to sale happens in Minnesota, not to mention the very cannabis plant and how it’s grown will be subject to the same safety standards.

Where things do differentiate, however, is at the cash register, as medical marijuana will remain tax-free.

“Every dollar counts, especially with this economy,” Swanson said. “With putting taxes on it, that would be a few hundred dollars a year for me.”

The other difference, according to state officials, is that recreational marijuana will still be subject to limits on possession and potency, while medical marijuana will not.

Besides competing with the recreational market, the medicinal market will see other changes come 2025, including dropping the $200 annual enrollment fee for patients. Also next year, patients will need recertification every three years by a physician instead of every year. 

Additional changes to the medical program under the new law include allowing patients in programs in other states to buy products in Minnesota under a “visiting patient option” beginning in two years, and the age threshold for registered caregivers to purchase cannabis flower will be lowered from 21 to 18.