Medical Cannabis Information for Health Care Practitioners

Registration and Certification Information

• Certifying Patients for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (PDF)
  Presents information on certifying patients for obstructive sleep apnea, including references to OSA diagnostic and management guidelines and treatment modalities.
  
• Intractable Pain Certification in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: A Primer for Health Care Practitioners (PDF)
  Presents details on certifying patients for intractable pain and information resources on pain management and the potential for cannabis therapy as part of pain management.
  
  
• Patient Annual Recertification and Enrollment
  Patients who are enrolled in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program must have their qualifying condition recertified by a Minnesota licensed physician, physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse on an annual basis.
  
  Key points:
  • A patient currently enrolled in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program does not have to have the current health care practitioner recertify them; they are allowed to have another health care practitioner registered in the program certify their condition.
  • Registered health care practitioners can recertify active patients up to 90 days before the patient's enrollment in the program expires. If the health care practitioner is attempting to certify an active patient that was originally certified by another registered health care practitioner, they will need to search for the patient via the patient lookup on the health care practitioners main page in the Medical Cannabis Registry.

Information Resources

• Review and Reports
  
  
• Serious health effect reporting
  
  
• Important information and warnings about using medical cannabis (PDF)
  
  
• A Review of Medical Cannabis Studies relating to Chemical Compositions and Dosages for Qualifying Medical Conditions (PDF)
  A summary of clinical trials and prospective observational studies in humans, published in peer-reviewed journals, which focus on medical cannabis formulations consistent with Minnesota’s medical cannabis program.
  
  
• Health Care Practitioner Guidance for Minnesota's Medical Cannabis Program (PDF)
  This document is intended to be a helpful guide to clinics that are developing their policies, practices and workflows to participate in Minnesota's Medical Cannabis Program. The document was created in partnership with the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) and focuses on ambulatory care. Note: this document, created in 2015, contains information and suggestions that continue to be a helpful resource for clinicians. However, changes in statutes and rules have made some information in the document outdated. ICSI will not be producing an updated version of this document, so we advise that you cross reference other sections of our website for the most current information.
  
  
• NCSBN Nursing Guidelines for Medical Marijuana and Implications for Nurses Practicing in Minnesota Providing Care for Clients Using Medical Cannabis (PDF)
  The Minnesota Board of Nursing recognizes that nurses may be involved in the care of clients who are receiving medical cannabis products. As always, nurses are expected to follow the prevailing standards of practice and the Nurse Practice Act. This document, from the Minnesota Board of Nursing, is a helpful guide for nurses to review the comprehensive guidelines published by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (MCSBN).