Nearly 500 pain patients joined Minnesota's medical cannabis program in July, the first month they could do so after intractable pain was added to the state's list of qualifying medical conditions last year. It's the highest number of patients certified by the state in a single month.
The Minnesota Department of Health says it has increased staffing at its call center to handle the hundreds of additional calls it has been receiving about the program.
The agency says it certified 481 intractable pain patients in the first month of enrollment. Those patients can begin receiving medical marijuana on Aug. 1 at one of the state's eight cannabis patient centers. Intractable pain is defined as pain that cannot be resolved by other medical treatments.
Dr. Tom Arneson, research manager in the Office of Medical Cannabis, described the July enrollment numbers as "substantial." But he said the bump was expected based on the volume of pain patients using medical marijuana in other states.
