Not long ago, a middle-aged friend who's a double amputee living with intractable pain explained how his condition had been treated for years with addictive opioid painkillers, though he'd recently made the decision to quit using the prescription medications.

Now his hope is that those in his situation soon will be included in the state's medical cannabis program.

He and other Minnesotans will have a chance to weigh in on this option in a series of meetings the Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Medical Cannabis is holding around the state.

From the news release, MDH Office of Medical Cannabis to hold community sessions around state:

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Medical Cannabis will hold a series of community sessions around the state this fall offering members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the state’s medical cannabis program. Participants also will have the opportunity to provide input on the question of adding intractable pain to the list of medical conditions that qualify people to participate in the program. . . . Minnesota’s 2014 medical cannabis statute requires the health commissioner to make a determination on whether intractable pain should be added to the list of qualifying conditions before giving consideration to the addition of any other condition. Legislation passed in 2015 requires this determination be made by January 1, 2016. The Office of Medical Cannabis is responsible for organizing opportunities for public input on this question and has established an advisory panel to make a recommendation to the commissioner. Intractable pain is defined in statute as “a pain state in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated with the consent of the patient and in which, in the generally accepted course of medical practice, no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible, or none has been found after reasonable efforts.”

Here's a list of the meetings; we're happy to see one in Willmar, which will be a 25-minute drive for our friend.

Dates (2015) Time City/County Event Location Wednesday, August 26 5:30-7:30 p.m. Rochester Rochester Public Library

101 2nd St. SE

Rochester, MN 55904 Thursday, August 27 5:30-7:30 p.m. Willmar Kandiyohi Health and Human Services

2200 23rd St. NE #0030

Willmar, MN 56201 Monday, September 14 TBD Hennepin County TBD Tuesday, September 15 5-7 p.m. Moorhead Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State)

1109 28th Ave. S.

Moorhead, MN 56563 Monday, September 21 5-7 p.m. Mankato Blue Earth County Library

100 E. Main St.

Mankato, MN 56001 Tuesday, September 22 TBD Grand Rapids TBD Wednesday, September 23 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hibbing City Services - Memorial Building Arena 400 East 23rd Street

Hibbing, MN 55746 Tuesday, September 29 5:30-7:30 p.m. Woodbury Globe University

8147 Globe Dr.

Woodbury, MN 55125 Wednesday, September 30 TBD St. Paul Wilder Center

451 Lexington Parkway North

St. Paul 55104 Tuesday, October 20 TBD Bemidji TBD Tuesday, October 27 5:30-7:30 p.m. St. Cloud St. Cloud Public Library

1300 W. St. Germain St.

St. Cloud, MN 56301

Photo: A medical cannabis product.

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