Frequently Asked Questions

The Division of Medical Cannabis does not maintain or share a list of health care practitioners who participate in the program.

If your current medical team does not participate, here are some ways to find a health care practitioner who does:

• Ask your current health care team for a referral to a practitioner who participates in the program.
• Search online, including the websites of medical cannabis retailers, for clinics and practitioners who are participating.
• Contact a nonprofit organization or support group related to your medical condition for recommendations.

Participation in the medical cannabis program is voluntary for health care practitioners.

Please monitor your inbox for correspondence from the Office of Cannabis Management. If you do not see this email in your regular inbox, please check your spam or junk folders. Read the instructions carefully and select the link in the email to begin your Medical Cannabis Registry enrollment. 

After you submit your application, the Office of Cannabis Management 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.

Certifications are 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 three years.

If your certification expires, you must contact your health care practitioner to get recertified or, if you are a veteran, submit a new veteran certification form. 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 or, if you are a veteran, submit a new veteran certification form.

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

The Office of Cannabis Management 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 stating that your application has been approved and the date that your enrollment period expires.

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

The Office of Cannabis Management 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 Cannabis Management 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.

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, select Registry Verification Document under the Quick Links area on your home page.

Information on becoming a medical cannabis patient can be found on OCM’s website at How to Become a Patient.

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 to complete a short enrollment form.

Patients can add a parent, legal guardian, or spouse to their account when they first enroll or any time during their enrollment period by logging into their patient account.

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.

Information on becoming a registered designated caregiver for a patient enrolled in the Minnesota medical cannabis program can be found on OCM’s website at How to Become a Caregiver. 

OCM does not review or approve patient self-evaluations (PSEs). Medical cannabis dispensary staff review and approve PSEs. PSEs are used to determine which medicine(s) would work best for a patient with your condition(s) and medications.

You must reach out directly to the medical cannabis dispensary of your choice 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.

You can also call the Minnesota Regional Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 for all poison emergencies and questions. Poison experts are available 24/7. You can also get online help at webpoisoncontrol.org.

Yes. Before a patient’s first purchase, a consultation with a Minnesota-licensed pharmacist or certified medical cannabis consultant employed by a licensed medical cannabis business is required. The consultation will help determine the categories of medical cannabis products the patient may purchase, the recommended dosage, and any required paraphernalia. 

Patients should complete any open patient self-evaluations (PSE) in their Patient Account on the Medical Cannabis Registry before the consultation. Patients who do not have access to email or who are unable to complete a PSE electronically should contact OCM to discuss available options.   

Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 342.51, subdivision 3, a pharmacist or certified medical cannabis consultant must consult with a patient in the following situations: 

• When the patient is purchasing medical cannabis flower or a medical cannabinoid product for the first time. 
• When the patient is purchasing a product that must be used with a different method of administration than the method previously used. 
• When the patient is purchasing a product with a cannabinoid concentration at least double the patient’s prior dosage. 
• When the patient requests a consultation. 

It depends. 

A medical cannabis retailer may honor a consultation completed at another retailer and allow the patient to purchase from the product categories and dosages already approved based on the existing consultation. 

In some cases, a medical cannabis retailer may require a consultation with its own pharmacist or certified medical cannabis consultant before dispensing medical cannabis product. This may occur if the retailer determines that a new or updated consultation is needed to support safe and appropriate dispensing. 

Patients are encouraged to contact the medical cannabis retailer before their first visit to that business to confirm whether an additional consultation is required. 

A patient self-evaluation is required before a patient’s first medical cannabis purchase. After the first purchase, self-evaluations are required on a quarterly basis during the patient’s first year, calculated from the date of that first purchase. If it has been more than one year since a patient’s first medical cannabis purchase, no additional self-evaluations are required. 

If a patient receives notice that a new self-evaluation is available, the patient must complete the new self-evaluation before the next purchase. 

When a self-evaluation is required, a notice will be visible in the patient’s Medical Cannabis Registry account to the patient, registered caregivers, and authorized dispensary staff. The patient will also receive an email notification when the new self-evaluation is available. 

Patients who do not have access to email or who are unable to complete a self-evaluation electronically should contact OCM to discuss available options. 

If a patient needs help completing a required self-evaluation, dispensary staff must assist with completion and must review and approve the self-evaluation before medical cannabis is dispensed. 

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 of age or older. Proof of age will be required when picking up smokable medical cannabis.

You cannot smoke medical cannabis in public places. For additional information, visit 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 the 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, visit Is Dried Cannabis Flower Right for You?

They will have no protection from medical cannabis program laws and may be 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.

No. To be protected by Minnesota’s medical cannabis laws, you must purchase from a Minnesota-licensed medical dispensary. All products from these providers need to be properly labeled with your name. Purchases from other medical cannabis programs in other states 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 patients in the medical cannabis program 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 Office of Cannabis Management does not regulate the possession or purchase of firearms and therefore cannot say how the federal prohibition will be enforced. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, the office recommends you consult with an attorney.

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. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, the office recommends you consult with an attorney.

To get started, go to Medical Cannabis Registry and select Login, then Forgot Your Password?

You will then receive an email with a link to reset your password. Your password must be at least eight 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 OCM, 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 selecting 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 and password rather than allowing the computer to fill them in for you.

Under Minnesota Statutes, section 342.09, subdivision 2, up to eight cannabis plants—with no more than four being mature, flowering plants—may be grown in a single residence without a license. Home cultivation must only take place at the primary residence of an individual age 21 or older and in an enclosed, locked space that is not open to public view. 

Yes. A registered designated caregiver who is at least 21 years old may cultivate cannabis plants on behalf of a patient enrolled in Minnesota's medical cannabis program. The caregiver may grow up to eight cannabis plants for one patient household. If a patient requests their caregiver to grow cannabis plants on their behalf, the patient must assign their right to home cultivation to their registered caregiver. Upon assignment of these rights, the patient is prohibited from cultivating cannabis plants for personal use.

Patients wishing to assign their right to home cultivation to a registered designated caregiver can do this from within their patient account and selecting an approved caregiver who is 21 years of age or older. Selecting Request next to the caregiver’s name will send an email to the caregiver inviting them to grow cannabis plants on behalf of the patient. Caregivers can accept or decline the invitation to grow cannabis, and patients will receive an email confirmation notifying them of the caregiver’s response. 

No. Per Minnesota law, the right to assign home cultivation is only available for patients who are age 21 or older. Additionally, a caregiver must be age 21 or older for a patient to assign their right to home cultivation to them.

If a registered designated caregiver is cultivating cannabis plants on behalf of a patient, the caregiver may have up to eight plants for the patient and eight plants for the caregiver’s personal adult use for a total of 16 plants. Of that total plant count, up to eight may be mature, flowering plants. 

Per Minnesota law, a registered designated caregiver may grow up to eight cannabis plants per patient household that the registered designated caregiver is approved to assist with obtaining medical cannabis flower. The caregiver may not grow more than eight plants on behalf of a patient household, even if there are multiple patients residing in one household. That caregiver would also be able to grow up to eight plants for their own personal adult use.  

Under current law, patients who reside in the same residence count as one patient. A caregiver may cultivate on behalf of multiple patients, but only if those patients reside in the same household, and only eight plants may be grown for that household. While a caregiver may care for multiple patients in more than one household, at no time may a caregiver cultivate for more than one patient household or have more than 16 plants, only eight of which may be on behalf of the patient household.  

No, per Minnesota law, once a patient has assigned their right, they are no longer able to home cultivate for personal use.  

Yes. However, extraction may not involve a volatile solvent, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 342.09, subdivision 3.