VIREO-Cannabis
Minnesotans Petition State to Include Anxiety, Sickle Cell Disease, and Tic Disorder as Qualifying Conditions for Medical Cannabis
A coalition of patients, advocates and physicians are petitioning the Minnesota Department of Health to add new qualifying conditions for medical cannabis
PR Newswire
MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 6, 2020
MINNEAPOLIS
,
Oct. 6, 2020
/PRNewswire/ — Vireo Health of
Minnesota
, LLC (“Vireo” or “the Company”), a subsidiary of Vireo Health International, Inc. (CNSX: VREO, OTCQX: VREOF), today announced that the Company is joining a growing coalition of patients, advocates, and physicians to petition the Minnesota Department of Health (“MDH”) to expand the state’s Medical Cannabis Program. The MDH is currently accepting public written comment on the addition of three new qualifying medical conditions – anxiety, sickle cell disease, and tic disorder.
Vireo is helping Minnesotans to take action through a
digital advocacy campaign
that allows people to pledge their support for adding anxiety, sickle cell disease, and tic disorder as qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use. Adding these conditions will allow certified physicians to prescribe medical cannabis to patients who are diagnosed with any of these ailments.
“Our goal is to make medical cannabis accessible for those in
Minnesota
who suffer from anxiety, sickle cell disease, and tic disorder,” said Vireo’s Chief Medical Officer
Stephen Dahmer
, M.D. “Now more than ever, adjunct therapies are needed to address the issues and challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic – such as anxiety. It is equally important to include conditions, such as Sickle Cell Disease, which disproportionately impact communities of color. We ask the MDH to review the available research and data which supports the benefit of offering Minnesotans impacted by these conditions access to medical cannabis in the safety of a closely monitored program.”
Support for Each Proposed Qualifying Condition
Anxiety –
Research
has shown that medical cannabis can reduce anxiety in patients being treated for other qualifying conditions, such as chronic pain and cancer. A majority of older patients when surveyed report cannabis to be extremely or somewhat helpful for anxiety and
additional research
supports the reduction of benzodiazepine use in medical cannabis patients.
Sickle Cell Disease –
Recent research
supports the ability of medical cannabis to not only reduce pain associated with Sickle Cell Disease, but also to be a cost-effective alternative that could reduce hospital admissions.
Tic Disease –
Both
research
and Vireo’s own anecdotal evidence of treating
Minnesota
patients with the State-approved qualifying condition, Tourette Syndrome, support the ability of cannabis to safely
decrease the intensity of tics
, as well as slow the tic urge, among other positive benefits.
“These three conditions merit consideration from the Minnesota Department of Health. We remain hopeful that
Minnesota
will expand its list of qualifying conditions,” said Dr.
Sujit Varma
, MD, a
Minneapolis
-based physician certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. “Research has shown that medical cannabis can provide ample relief and serves as a safer alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals.”
For patients and advocates who want to get involved, please visit the Vireo Health of
Minnesota
website advocacy page
and act now!
About Vireo Health of
Minnesota
Vireo Health of
Minnesota
, LLC is one of two licensed medical cannabis companies in Minnesota. Vireo operates four Cannabis Patient Centers across the state and a cultivation and processing facility near Otsego, MN. Vireo Health of
Minnesota
is a subsidiary of Vireo Health International, Inc. Vireo’s mission is to build the cannabis company of the future by bringing the best of medicine, engineering, and science to the cannabis industry. Vireo’s physician-led team of more than 400 employees provides best-in-class cannabis products and patient experience. For more information about Vireo, please visit
www.vireohealth.com
.
Contact Information
Albe Zakes
[email protected]
(267) 221-4800
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SOURCE Vireo Health International, Inc.