Patients who qualify registered to begin recieving medical marijuana legally in Minnesota today.
The first doses will be distributed on July 1st.
However, marijuana is still classified as a schedule 1 narcotic by the U.S. government. Federal officials have said that they will not make state dispensaries a priority issue.
Some state government approved businesses have had trouble working with banks and others who were concerned that associating with a medical marijuana business would incriminate them, MPR News reports.
The Star Tribune reports that doctors will not be able to prescribe pot directly. They can only determine whether or not a patient qualifies for entry to the program. The Star Tribune also writes that eligible patients must have debilitating conditions that are difficult to treat, and the service will not be easily available.
The Minnesota Department of Health lists 9 conditions that qualify a patient for the program, including HIV and AIDS, Crohn’s Disease, and Glaucoma.
Their website says that the fee for eligibility to purchase medical cannabis could cost as much as $200.