MOORHEAD – A decision to allow medical marijuana to treat intractable pain in Minnesota will help to make the drug more affordable to patients who are eligible for the program, a medical marijuana executive said.

Allowing medical marijuana to treat intractable pain will greatly expand the population of patients who are eligible to use the drug under Minnesota law, which will help to reduce costs by increasing volume, Dr. Kyle Kingsley, chief executive officer of Minnesota Medical Solutions, said Thursday.

"It's going to bring down prices for patients just from economies of scale," Kingsley said. As the list of patients continues to grow, it will encourage more production and prices should continue to drop over time. "It's kind of a virtuous cycle."

Medical marijuana costs, on average, between $200 to $400 per month, although some patients get by with less than $100 per month and a few pay as much as $800 per month, Kingsley said. That cost is not covered by health insurance.

Medical marijuana is not allowed in smokeable or leaf form, requiring costly extraction of the plants' active ingredients, dispensed to patients in the form of pills, oils or vapors.

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To reduce costs, Minnesota Medical Solutions is extending until the end of the year a 50 percent discount for new customers. It also provides a 15 percent discount for people who qualify for medical assistance and awards loyalty points to defray costs.

Intractable pain - a pain for which there is no way to remove or otherwise treat the cause of the pain - was added to the list of conditions or diseases that can be treated with medical marijuana, a decision announced Wednesday by Minnesota's health commissioner.

Adding intractable pain will at least double the patient base and potentially increase it as much as tenfold, Kingsley said.

So far, 760 patients have been approved in the state's registry to pick up medical marijuana in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. That number is growing by 30 to 40 per week, Kingsley said.

On the other hand, 452 physicians and other practitioners are registered and authorized to certify patients for medical marijuana, which can be recommended for patients but not prescribed.

"We've had a very robust physician response," Kingsley said.

Minnesota is one of 23 states that allow medical marijuana. "There'll be a lot more than that in the next 12 to 24 months," Kingsley said. A proposal to legalize medical marijuana use could reach voters in North Dakota next year, if backers succeed in getting the issue on the ballot.

Minnesota Medical Solutions, also called MinnMed, is one of two firms authorized to supply medical marijuana in the state. It plans to open a dispensary in Moorhead in May or June - an opening that was delayed because of the slow early sign-up of eligible patients.

A few patients from Moorhead now are traveling to Minneapolis to obtain medical marijuana, Kingsley said.