Some medical marijuana patients in Minnesota are running into a bureaucratic backlog at the state’s new Office of Cannabis Management.
And they’re losing patience.
“I just went through 26 days of not having it,” said Jason LeCuyer, who has been an approved medical marijuana patient since 2015.
LeCuyer was diagnosed with HIV in 2008. On the bad days, he can barely get out of bed.
He says medical marijuana – or cannabis – saved his life. He realized the benefits when he could no longer get it when he needed it this summer.
“It’s hard to admit that I’m in pain,” he said.
Earlier this summer LeCuyer – along with countless others – became trapped in a system overwhelmed with new patients and patients attempting to renew their certification.
After submitting his annual renewal paperwork, LeCuyer received an email back saying, “Due to a high number of applications being submitted… you may experience a longer approval wait time than expected…. which may take up to 30 days.”
He said it used to take a day or two.
“Could you imagine a patient that has cancer, has been going through chemo, has been dependent on this medication? Are you going to withhold that medicine from them for up to a month? I don’t think that’s acceptable,” he said.
The state’s new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) admits the backlog started this summer after a change in the state law. Part of the change dramatically lifted barriers to medical cannabis – making the list of qualifying medical conditions basically moot.
Now if a doctor says cannabis could help, the patient is approved.
A spokesperson for the agency also said applications are up 16 percent this year.
Maren Schroeder, who co-founded a non-profit that advocates for patients and currently serves as the Director of Advocacy at Blunt Strategies, says OCM should be in a position to anticipate the issues.
“I think patients are rightfully frustrated, especially when there is a change,” said Maren Schroeder, co-founder of the organization.
Schroeder noted that the problems ramped up as soon as the medical program moved this summer from the state Department of Health (MDH) to OCM.
“While the program was still with MDH, we were definitely blessed, because the leadership over there really made sure to prioritize patients,” she said. “As the program moved from MDH to OCM, it’s now under different leadership with different people, and I’ve personally found it to be less responsive.”
Earlier this summer, the interim director of OCM, Charlene Briner indicated to 5 INVESTIGATES that the office is still working out all the kings as it gets the industry off the ground.
“We are literally flying the plane while we’re building the plane. And we’re also you know, getting the parts together. So it’s a lot of work,” she said.
Josh Collins, spokesperson for OCM, indicated this backlog was part of a perfect storm but it will ease soon due to IT upgrades and an initial rush of new patients subsiding.
Collins also said the issue will also improve now that certifications for medical cannabis are good for three years instead of the requirement to renew every year. Patients enrolled in the program just received an email notifying them of this change.
The rollout of Minnesota’s new cannabis industry continues to face challenges. Last year, the agency’s first director stepped down one day after she started.
Gov. Tim Walz still has not named her replacement.
OCM is still working out the rules for recreational cannabis. The goal remains the same: to have dispensaries up and running by spring of next year.
A backlog at Minnesota’s new cannabis office is forcing some medical marijuana patients to wait weeks to fill a prescription. Read More