Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management denies petition to add inhalers, flower and concentrates to medical program
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Office of Cannabis Management says it will not add any additional delivery methods to the medical cannabis program in 2025.
The office defines delivery method as the form in which a medication is taken.
Three petitions to expand delivery method to include dry powder inhalation, infused flower and concentrates were presented to the office for review before the state's Dec. 1 deadline.
The Office of Cannabis Management says they evaluated the petitions based on a review of scientific evidence and potential health and safety impacts for patients.
The office says dry powder inhalers are a method of consuming dry powder containing THC, CBD and/or any other cannabinoids. Medicinal cannabis inhalers are similar to inhalers used for asthma.
Due to federal limitations on cannabis research, the office passed on inhalers because of the limited peer-reviewed studies that show this method is safe for medical cannabis patients, says the Office of Cannabis Management.
"Minnesota's medical cannabis program has been in place for a decade, and during that time has prioritized its responsibility to balance our patient's need for relief from acute diagnosed medical conditions with the responsibility to ensure products available to them are safe and beneficial," said Charlene Briner, interim director of the Office of Cannabis Management. "That balance is the lens we used to make determinations on the three petitions that were considered this year."
However, the office says as future research becomes available, this delivery method may be reconsidered.
Infused flower and cannabis concentrates are cannabis products with high levels of THC. Higher levels of THC, while beneficial to some patients, have also been shown to increase the risk of adverse health events and cannabis use disorder, says the Office of Cannabis Management.
For information about approved medical cannabis delivery methods, becoming a medical cannabis patient, click here.
