Flowering medical marijuana now available in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesotans who use medical marijuana now have a new way of consuming the cannabis.

Starting last Tuesday, everyone who is registered for medical marijuana can apply to get it in its purest form, dried flower.

Minnesota and Iowa are two of of 38 states, along with DC, to have legalized medical marijuana, while 18 states, including Michigan and Illinois — and Canada — have legalized it recreationally. Though every bordering territory has some sort of legalization, Wisconsin has neither.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, more than 30,000 people in the state are in the medical marijuana program. So far, only two dispensaries in the Twin Cities metro are approved to sell the dried flower marijuana.

Chris Tholkes is the director of the health department’s Office of Medical Cannabis. He says marijuana in the flower form will provide a cheaper alternative to medical wax and topical applications.

“The number one complaint we have heard from patients over the years is that the price point really,” Tholkes said. “It’s cheaper because it’s not concentrated like wax pens.”

Tholkes also said patients, on average, spend $300 a month on medical marijuana products. The introduction of bud, Tholkes added, would bring that price down immensely and entice more people to apply for medical marijuana, KARE-TV reported.

To apply to the state’s medical marijuana program, you have to have a referral from a medical professional.

The start of dried medical marijuana comes as Gov. Tim Walz proposes to fund a committee to review full recreational legalization of cannabis by 2024, using some surplus funds that will be in the upcoming budget discussions.