Medical Cannabis Reports

Minnesota’s Medical Cannabis Program is unique among the states with medical cannabis programs in that it collects data about participating patients and publishes research that adds to the growing scientific knowledge base about medical cannabis.

A report published by the Office of Cannabis Management draws on data from patient enrollment, medical cannabis purchases, symptom and side-effect ratings at the time of each purchase, and survey results to describe the experiences of patients with sleep apnea.

Impact of Medical Cannabis on Minnesota Cancer Patients
Read the report on Impact of Medical Cannabis on Minnesota Cancer Patients (published 9/10/26).

Key takeaways
- Almost half (47.2%) of all patients with moderate to severe vomiting saw an improvement within four months of starting medical cannabis use. Overall, a quarter of patients reported and maintained an improvement.
- Nearly four in 10 patients with moderate to severe nausea at enrollment experienced improvement in those symptoms within four months of their first cannabis purchase.
- 38.2% of patients with moderate to severe lack of appetite experienced improvement in appetite within four months of their first purchase.
- 40% of cancer patients experiencing moderate to severe anxiety and 44% of cancer patients experiencing moderate to severe depression at enrollment reported improvement in those symptoms within four months of their first purchase.
- Roughly three in 10 cancer patients with moderate to severe pain at enrollment experienced improvement in symptoms.
Medical Cannabis Use Patterns Report
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program
Read the report on Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (published 5/15/25).

Key takeaways
- This study analyzed data from 3,102 patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program with sleep apnea between Aug. 1, 2018, and July 31, 2023. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) became a qualifying condition for the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program in August of 2018.
- Most patients enter into the program to help improve their sleep and fatigue; however, patients were asked to rate their experience with other commonly treated symptoms such as anxiety, pain, or changes in appetite as well.
- Patients were asked to rate the severity of their sleep disruption when they enroll in the program and were asked again at various points of follow-up throughout their time receiving treatment.
- 39.4% of all patients in this study experienced significant improvement in their sleep within 4 months of beginning treatment and were able to maintain the sleep improvement for an additional 4 months.
- Of those who reported moderate to severe fatigue at enrollment, 55.3% saw significant improvement within 4 months and 33.5% were able to achieve and maintain improved scores.
Chronic Pain Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program
Read the report on Chronic Pain Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (published 1/31/25).

Key takeaways
- Pain is the most prominent symptom treated in the Minnesota medical cannabis program. The pain-related medical conditions of patients in the program include chronic pain, intractable pain, cancer with severe pain, terminal illness with severe pain, and sickle cell disease.
- This study analyzed data from 9,961 patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program with a pain-related condition between March 2, 2022, and Feb. 28, 2023.
- Patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program are finding a noticeable change in pain relief within four months of receiving medical cannabis.
- Among all pain-related conditions, almost one-third (31.7%) of patients experiencing moderate to severe pain at enrollment saw a meaningful reduction in pain symptoms within four months of treatment. Of those patients experiencing a meaningful reduction in pain symptoms, 49.7% of them were able to maintain the pain reduction for an additional four months after achieving it.
Intractable Pain Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program
Read the report on Intractable Pain Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (published 12/5/24), which reports on the experience of enrollees during the first five months intractable pain was a qualifying condition.

Appendices
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program
Read the report on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (published 6/21/24), which reports on the experience of enrollees during the first five months intractable pain was a qualifying condition.

Appendices
Report on Medical Cannabis Price Study
The Office of Medical Cannabis commissioned BerryDunn to conduct a study of medical cannabis product prices in Minnesota. The study was based on sales transactions data for all products sold by the state's two registered manufacturers, LeafLine Labs and Minnesota Medical Solutions (now Vireo Health/Green Goods).

Read the Report on Medical Cannabis Price Study (updated 8/11/21).

What did the report cover?
- Documentation of available medical cannabis products and historical prices during the review period October 2016-December 2019.
- Prices of sampled medical cannabis products in Colorado, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington that are comparable to the medical cannabis products offered in Minnesota.
- Documentation of discount programs offered by the manufacturers, LeafLine Labs and Vireo Health.
- Total number of units sold, sales, discounts applied, and net sales from medical cannabis sales in each quarter during the review period.
- Average amount spent for a 30-day supply of medical cannabis by registered patients.
What are some key takeaways?
- Minnesota offers medical cannabis products at comparable prices to equivalent products in six states with medical cannabis programs.
- Most medical cannabis prices in Minnesota went down during the study period.
- Overall average spend for a 30-day supply of medical cannabis dropped from $362 in 2016 to $316 in 2019.
- Patients with seizures had the highest average 30-day spend (at $364), and patients with terminal disease had the lowest (at $189).