Medical Cannabis Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some tips:

• Ask your current medical team for a referral to a health care practitioner who is participating.
• Search the internet for health care practitioners and clinics that are participating.
  • Go to Green Goods website
  • Go to RISE website
• Reach out to a non-profit support program for your medical condition.

A health care practitioner's participation in the Medical Cannabis Program is voluntary.

Shortly after getting certified, you will receive an email from the Minnesota Department of Health's Medical Cannabis Registry. Check your junk or spam folder if you do not see this email in your regular inbox. Read the instructions carefully and click the link in the email to begin your Medical Cannabis Registry enrollment.

After you submit your application, the Office of Medical Cannabis will let you know by email when your enrollment has been approved (processing can take up to 30 days) or if we need additional documentation from you.

Certification from a health care practitioner is good for 90 days. A patient must submit a complete enrollment application and get it approved within this 90-day window; otherwise, their certification will expire.

If your enrollment application gets approved within 90 days of certification, you will be enrolled in the program for one year.

If your certification expires, you must contact your health care practitioner to get recertified. Once you are recertified, you will receive another enrollment email with your application link and have another 90 days to get your enrollment approved. 

Each patient, caregiver, parent/legal guardian/spouse, and health care provider must have a different email address for their Registry account. Email addresses cannot be shared by multiple accounts. One parent/legal guardian can share the email address of a patient who is their minor child.

First, you must get recertified by a participating health care practitioner.

After you are recertified, you will receive an enrollment email with your application link. Complete or update your application.

The Office of Medical Cannabis processes all applications in the order they are received. It can take up to 30 days for review. Once your application is approved, you will receive an email that states your enrollment in the program is extended for another year.

You can re-enroll as early as 90 days before your enrollment expires.

NOTE: The annual enrollment fee was eliminated effective July 1, 2023. Due to state regulations, OMC cannot refund enrollment fees paid before that date.

The Office of Medical Cannabis can take up to 30 days to process applications for the program. Requesting status updates takes time away from processing applications. Know that we are working hard to process them as fast as we can.

You will receive an email when your application is approved. All applications are processed in the order they are received.

We will contact you by email or phone if you submitted an incomplete application.

The Office of Medical Cannabis will send you an approval email that contains instructions and links for completing your Patient Self-evaluation and contacting a Medical Cannabis Dispensary so you can make an appointment to pick up your medicine.

You can add a caregiver to your account (using a different email address from your own). Your caregiver will receive an email with a link and information about completing a background check, which can be started right away.

For details on completing the background check, go to the Designated Caregiver Background Check Informed Consent Form (PDF).

You can add a parent, legal guardian, or spouse to your account when you first enroll or any time after you have been approved. People registered in this category are NOT required to complete a background check.

NOTE: The following documentation is required.

• For parent or legal guardian: Copy of their government-issued photo ID, patient's birth certificate or legal guardianship papers.
• For spouse: Copy of their government-issued photo ID and marriage certificate.

We do not issue medical cannabis cards. Patients who want proof of participating in the program (for instance, to show an employer) can print a verification document.

To access your document, log in to your Registry account. From the patient home page, click on your username (your email address) at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Select "Registry Verification Card," then select "Open" to view and print the verification document. Continue to the next page to print. Either save a copy to your desktop or take a photo of it with your phone's camera.

For a detailed description of the process, see Step 3: Access your registry verification document provided in Managing Your Medical Cannabis Registry Account: A Guide for Medical Cannabis Patients (PDF).

We do not review or approve Patient Self-evaluations. Medical Cannabis Dispensary staff use them to determine which medicine(s) would work best for a patient with your condition(s) and medications.

You must reach out directly to a Medical Cannabis Dispensary by phone or by visiting their website to schedule a pick-up time.

Please follow up with the Medical Cannabis Dispensary where you obtained the medical cannabis to report side effects or adverse events.

In terms of benefitting a specific qualifying medical condition, patients should talk to their health care practitioner or Medical Cannabis Dispensary pharmacist for guidance. Some patients may get immediate symptom relief by smoking medical cannabis, although the effects may wear off quickly.

Yes. The sale of smokable cannabis is limited to registered patients and caregivers who are 21 years or older. Proof of age will be required when picking up smokable medical cannabis.

You cannot smoke medical cannabis in public places where smoking commercial tobacco is restricted. For additional information, go to Guidance on Where to Use Medical Cannabis.

Patients should talk to their health care practitioner or their pharmacist to determine if smokable medical cannabis is right for them. Patients should weigh the risks versus benefits. Research on the use of medical cannabis is limited, and scientists continue to learn how cannabis may help or harm people. For additional guidance, go to Is Dried Cannabis Flower Right for You?

They will have no protections from medical cannabis program laws and are subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Patients should carry their medical cannabis in the package in which it was originally dispensed, with a label showing their name and date of birth for law enforcement to verify.

The use or possession of cannabis purchased from a source other than the two state-registered manufacturers is not entitled to the protections of Minnesota's medical cannabis laws. Your use and possession of medical cannabis is only legal in Minnesota if purchased from Leafline Labs (RISE) or Vireo Health of Minnesota (Green Goods). Purchases from other medical cannabis programs in other states or from other sources are not allowed under Minnesota law.

No. The federal law prohibits crossing state lines with cannabis, even if you are traveling to another state where cannabis is legal. Moreover, the protections Minnesota law offers to Medical Cannabis Program participants do not extend beyond Minnesota's borders. If you are enrolled in the program, you should not take your medical cannabis with you to another state or country.

Cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Federal law prohibits anyone who uses an "unlawful" substance, including medical cannabis, from purchasing a firearm. In 2011, the federal U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Division (ATFE) stated medical cannabis users were not entitled to exercise their right to bear arms because of the federal government's prohibition of cannabis. Citing cannabis' status as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, the agency said: "[T]here are no exceptions in federal law for marijuana purportedly used for medicinal purposes, even if such use is sanctioned by state law."

The Minnesota Department of Health does not regulate the possession or purchase of firearms and therefore cannot say how the federal prohibition will be enforced. Specific questions about these federal firearm restrictions should be directed to your attorney or the appropriate law enforcement agency.

CDL drivers are subject to extensive state and federal regulation, including federal Department of Transportation (DOT) drug testing. DOT drug and alcohol testing rules apply to every person who operates a commercial motor vehicle in interstate or intrastate commerce. A DOT regulation (49 CFR 383) requires DOT agencies to implement drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees. Medical cannabis, even if legal under state law, is an illegal drug under federal law. The DOT says enrollment in a state medical cannabis program is not a valid medical explanation if a transportation employee tests positive for any prohibited drug. Therefore, federal law prohibits the use of medical cannabis by CDL-covered individuals.

To get started, go to Medical Cannabis Registry and click the "Login" button then "Forgot Your Password?"

You will then receive an email with a link to reset your password. Your password must be at least 8 characters long and use at least one number or symbol.

After you enter your new password, you will be notified that the password was successfully reset. You can now log in using your new password.

If you receive an error message, follow these steps: If your email address is already filled in, delete it, and type it back in and enter the new password.

Before contacting the Office of Medical Cannabis, please review the following suggestions. If you are unable to log in to the Registry, try to:

• Use a different computer browser (Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc.) from the one you are using.
• Clear the browser history.
• Log out of the Registry, then shut down and restart your computer.
• Reset your password by clicking on "Forgot Your Password?" on the login page. A password reset link will be sent to the email address on file. You have 24 hours to reset the password.
• Type in your full email address rather than allowing the computer to fill in the email address for you.