As of August 1, 2023 all appointments for cannabis certification and re-certification can be done via virtual appointments (phone or zoom).
We provide virtual medical cannabis certifications and re-certification in Minneapolis and the entire state of Minnesota.
While medical cannabis has not yet become mainstream treatment, and while it is still not legalized on the federal level, we are now able to use it in treatment of some conditions in Minnesota. Many people have had good results. Because as of August 1, 2023 we can do virtual certification, we have patients who are able to certify and re-certify from all areas of the state of Minnesota and Minneapolis for medical marijuana certification.
Dr. Mirman of Life Medical realized its benefit and has been on the fore front of legislative effort to legalize medical marijuana in Minnesota from the beginning. He has been one of the leaders in the state of Minnesota for medical cannabis certification.
Read Dr. Mirman's article in support of medical marijuana in April 2014 edition of Minnesota Medicine Magazine, a publication of Minnesota Medical Association. Listen to an interview about medical marijuana with Dr. Mirman and Tom Barnard on 92 KQRS in the morning. Additional discussions on medical marijuana certification and hypnotherapy between KQRS noon show (12/06/18) and medical marijuana Q&A on The KQRS Morning Show (01/09/19) - can be heard here.
Dr. Mirman and Dr. Bacaner at Life Medical provide medical marijuana certifications in their Minneapolis office for patients who may be eligible for the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program in Minnesota. If you are looking for a marijuana doctor, we welcome you to contact us. Patients from Duluth to Minneapolis who have searched for a doctor that can prescribe cannabis for treatment, and can provide medical cannabis certification have used our services. We can help in the certification for the medical cannabis program in Minnesota and provide ongoing follow-up care. Please take a moment to help us determine eligibility and your qualifying conditions for use of medical marijuana by answering 8 short questions.
We provide virtual medical cannabis certifications and re-certifications as of August 1, 2023 for patients in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the entire state of Minnesota
Our medical marijuana certification that we provide virtually as of August 1, 2023 to people in Minneapolis and all across the state of Minnesota is a cash only option (meaning your health care plan will not pay for it, but you can pay with a credit card). We feel HSA accounts should cover this service, but you should check for yourself (we would be happy to provide you with a statement that the service is medically necessary in our opinion). The fee to be certified and recertified (required annually) is $200. This fee is for the medical cannabis certification process only, not regular medical care or any testing necessary for the certification process, which may be covered by your health care plan. We may also bill your health care plan for the visit, but you will not be responsible for any co-pays or deductibles, as we will apply the medical cannabis certification fee to cover these. Please note that Minnesota Department of Health Office of Medical Cannabis no longer charges its own processing fees.
US veterans no longer need our services as of July 1, 2024. They can self-certify here: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis/
Dr. Mirman can see you at home for the purpose of medical marijuana certification if necessary and if you prefer it instead of a virtual consult if you live in the surrounding Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The fee for this service is in addition to the above certification fee. House calls within 10 mile radius of the clinic are $200, and any additional distance is $10 per mile.
Our licensed medical doctors perform medical cannabis certification and determine eligibility of each patient to qualify for the medical conditions set by the State of Minnesota. The providers at Life Medical do not prescribe, dispense, grow, store or sell medical marijuana. Once the patient has received their medical marijuana certification from our doctors, the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Medical Cannabis will do an investigation and approve the patient in accordance with Minnesota law.
Once a patient is approved by the state, they can go to one of the cannabis dispensaries and work with a pharmacist there. The pharmacist will help them figure out the right products and doses.
We offer continued comprehensive care for all patient's conditions, including those who have their medical cannabis certification and have qualified for the Medical Cannabis Program. Ongoing follow-up and care for the qualified conditions is required under Minnesota law. This care may be covered by your health care plan. We will need to carry out at least one follow-up several months after the certification visit in order to report your progress to the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Medical Cannabis as required. This visit may be billed to your health care plan. All non-covered co-pays and deductibles incurred for this required follow-up will be covered by the certification fee paid initially.
Please call our office at 952-933-8900 if you have any questions about our program before you come for your appointment. If you can't reach our main number, please call our cannabis coordinator Merrie on her direct phone line: 952-994-9052.
After July 1, 2024, we can certify patients for any condition we see fit. That means, if the patient is benefitting from cannabis for one of their conditions, or we feel cannabis may be helpful for one of their conditions, we can certify them. Until then, the Minnesota medical marijuana program is limited to patients with the following conditions:
- Cancer associated with severe/chronic pain, nausea or severe vomiting, or cachexia or severe wasting.
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Glaucoma
- HIV/AIDS
- Tourette Syndrome
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Seizures, including those characteristic of Epilepsy
- Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of Multiple Sclerosis.
- Chronic or Intractable Pain
- Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease.
- Terminal illness, with a probable life expectancy of less than one year.*
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Sleep Apnea: sleep study required
- Chronic motor or vocal tic disorder
- Sickle cell disease
*To qualify for the program under terminal illness diagnosis, you must suffer from cancer or a terminal illness with a probable life expectancy of under one year, if your illness or its treatment produces one or more of the following: severe or chronic pain; nausea or severe vomiting; or Cachexia or severe wasting.
For more information on Medical Cannabis from the Minnesota Department of Health, including dispensary information, click on the link below:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis/
Dr. Mirman's opinion: Because he has done medical marijuana certification for thousands of patients, Dr. Mirman is an expert in the subject. According to emerging research, he believes that medical cannabis should be considered as first line pain medication. He has read a great deal of evidence that shows that medical cannabis appears to be safer than all other pain medications available by prescription or over the counter. It does not cause severe side effects and overdose deaths like opioids, GI bleeding (including fatal) and kidney failure like NSAIDS (ibuprofen and others), liver and kidney failure like acetaminophen (Tylenol) in some cases. Its side effect profile is much more favorable than most pain drugs. And he believes that medical marijuana appears to be more effective than most. He has seen that seeing cannabis in patients already on opioids for pain tends to decrease their opioid doses and in many cases make them unnecessary. There is no medical or legal reason to refuse prescribing opioids to patients certified for medical cannabis.
Unfortunately, some pain clinics have a policy against combining opioids and cannabis and cut people off their needed opioid prescription for a urine test positive for THC (resulting from taking medical cannabis). The following review article provides good information and references indicating that such policies may be short-sighted. If your pain doctor is not amenable to managing your opioids as appropriate while you are on medical cannabis, contact Dr. Mirman for a referral to a more reasonable pain doctor.
