In a column published Thursday evening in the Duluth News Tribune, Health Commissioner's View: Why I’m allowing the use of medical cannabis for intractable pain, Edward Ehlinger explains:
. . .When the state Legislature created Minnesota’s medical cannabis program in 2014, the law included nine health conditions that qualify a person to receive medical cannabis. The law gave the commissioner of health authority to add additional qualifying medical conditions, but requiring intractable pain be the first condition evaluated.
“Intractable pain” is not just chronic pain. It is defined by law as a condition in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated and for which no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible or none has been found after reasonable efforts. . . .
No one should consider medical cannabis a panacea for pain. However, based on what we know today, it is prudent to give health care providers and patients another tool for the difficult task of managing severe pain.
Read the entire column at the News Tribune. It's a worthwhile explanation when we see members of the state legislature tweeting statements like this:
Dayton Admin legalizes Pot for Headaches: Statement from Rep. Matt Dean https://t.co/daeMICdv2h
— Matt Dean (@repmattdean) December 5, 2015
The column also fleshes out the creator of the law's response to Dean:
No. Being opposed to medical cannabis is okay, but please be factual. #mnleg https://t.co/dX2RN2Ql7s
— Carly Melin (@carlymelin) December 5, 2015
Photo: this is what medical cannabis looks like in Minnesota.
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