Cheaper Medical Pot in Minnesota? Cannabis Companies Say It’s on the Way
May 21, 2021
Patients enrolled in Minnesota’s medical cannabis program will soon get a chance to buy the plant in dried, smokable form. That’s the result of a major change approved by Minnesota lawmakers on the final day of the 2021 legislative session.
The state’s two medical cannabis manufacturers — Vireo Health and LeafLine Labs — say the change will significantly bring down the costs of the program, which has long been criticized for being pricier than other states’ programs.
“Patients will be able to get the same amount of medicine for potentially half the price in flower form,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, an emergency medicine doctor who now serves as CEO of Vireo. “It’s just less processing. It’s the simplest form of these medicines for people. That’s the primary driver of cost reduction.”