SF4875
Medical cannabis endorsement requirements modification
Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026)
Related bill: HF4412
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
- To modify how Minnesota handles medical cannabis endorsements for cannabis businesses, with the aim of expanding oversight, tightening steps for patient-specific distribution, and clarifying who can approve and supervise distribution.
Main Provisions
- Endorsement types created and defined
- Cultivation endorsement: Allows a license holder to grow medical cannabis, sell flower to other medical cannabis entities, and perform other office-approved actions.
- Processor endorsement: Allows purchasing of medical cannabis flower, cannabinoid products, hemp parts, and hemp concentrate; making cannabis and hemp concentrates (including some hemp concentrates with higher delta-9 THC); manufacturing and labeling medical cannabinoid products; and other office-approved actions.
- Retail endorsement: Allows selling and distributing medical cannabis flower, cannabinoid products, and related paraphernalia; requires at least one trained employee (medical cannabis consultant with an office certificate or a licensed pharmacist) or a contracted/employed pharmacist to provide final authorization; requires verification and compliance steps before distribution.
- Distribution and verification requirements
- Before distributing to someone in the registry, staff must verify enrollment, confirm identity and eligibility (patient, designated caregiver, or parent/legal guardian/spouse), ensure the patient had a consultation with a certified medical cannabis consultant or licensed pharmacist, apply a patient-specific dosage label, and provide required information.
- Retail endorsement holders may not deliver to registry-enrolled individuals unless they also hold a cannabis delivery service license.
- Final approval and patient consultation
- Only a pharmacist (licensed under chapter 151) or a certified medical cannabis consultant employed by a retailer endorsement holder may give final approval for distribution.
- Consultations must consider the patient’s needs, including first-time purchases, changes in administration method, or changes in dosage; consultations can occur remotely via telemedicine as long as identity and privacy protections are maintained.
- Testing and safety
- Requirements apply to testing and labeling to ensure safety, potency, and consistency before products are distributed to patients.
- Delivery and telemedicine
- Delivery-specific provisions and the option for remote consultations expand access while maintaining oversight.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces new endorsement categories (cultivation, processor, retailer) with specific authorizations and duties.
- Ties retailer endorsements to the need for a licensed pharmacist or certified medical cannabis consultant for final distribution approval.
- Adds explicit patient verification, dosage labeling, and pre-distribution consultation requirements.
- Replaces or strengthens the prior framework by requiring safety testing visibility and a formal labeling standard before distribution.
- Establishes or clarifies a delivery license requirement for any cannabis delivery activity by retailers.
- Allows telemedicine-based consultations for patient care and dosage determinations, expanding access while preserving oversight.
Impact and Stakeholders (Summary)
- Affects cannabis license holders (cultivators, processors, retailers) who will need appropriate endorsements and staff with specialized training.
- Impacts patients enrolled in the registry by requiring documented consultations, labeled dosages, and verified distributions.
- Involves pharmacists and medical cannabis consultants as key decision-makers for final distribution approval.
- Could expand access to medical cannabis through delivery services and remote consultations, while increasing verification and safety measures.
Relevant Terms - medical cannabis endorsement - cultivation endorsement - processor endorsement - retailer endorsement - cannabis license holder - medical cannabis flower - medical cannabinoid products - hemp plant parts - hemp concentrate - delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC) - hemp concentrate > 0.3% THC by weight - industrial hemp - medical cannabis testing facility - registry program - patient - designated caregiver - parent legal guardian - spouse - medical cannabis consultant - licensed pharmacist (chapter 151) - office (the agency issuing endorsements) - distribution - patient-specific label - dosage requirements - final approval - telemedicine - secure videoconference/remote consultation - delivery service license
Bill text versions
- Introduction PDF PDF file
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 26, 2026 | Senate | Action | Introduction and first reading | ||
| March 26, 2026 | Senate | Action | Referred to | Commerce and Consumer Protection |
Citations
[
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Endorsement categories and associated authorizations (cultivate, process, sell/distribute medical cannabis flower and cannabinoid products).",
"Requirements for endorsement issuance for cultivation (submission of endorsement application and meeting applicable office requirements).",
"Labeling, packaging, and related actions for medical cannabis flower."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 342.51 subdivision 1 to authorize medical cannabis endorsements and outline permissible actions for each endorsement (cultivation, processing, retailer) as part of the medical cannabis program.",
"modified": [
"Subdivision 1 is amended to expand and clarify the scope of endorsements and related activities."
]
},
"citation": "342.51",
"subdivision": "Subdivision 1"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Procedures for verifying patient enrollment and identity.",
"Verification of patient, designated caregiver, or parent/legal guardian.",
"Confirmation of patient consultation with a valid medical cannabis consultant or licensed pharmacist.",
"Labeling the product with patient-specific dosage information.",
"Provision of additional information required by the office."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 342.51 subdivision 2, describing distribution requirements for medical cannabis products prior to distribution to registry patients.",
"modified": [
"Subdivision 2 is amended to detail distribution workflow and safeguards (verification, labeling, consultation)."
]
},
"citation": "342.51",
"subdivision": "Subdivision 2"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [
"Designation of pharmacist licensed under chapter 151 or Medical Cannabis Consultant with a certificate as the only individuals who may give final approval for distribution.",
"Requirements for consultation with the patient by the pharmacist or consultant prior to distribution, including type of product and dosage.",
"Criteria for determining dosage and mode of administration.",
"Conditions around first-time purchase, changes in administration method, increased cannabinoid concentration, or patient request."
],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 342.51 subdivision 3 to define final approval for distribution of medical cannabis products.",
"modified": [
"Subdivision 3 is amended to restrict final approval authority to designated pharmacists or certified medical cannabis consultants and to specify required consultations."
]
},
"citation": "342.51",
"subdivision": "Subdivision 3"
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "Cites delivery provisions that apply to the delivery of medical cannabis flower and medical cannabinoid products; directs that delivery is subject to the provisions of section 342.42.",
"modified": [
"Delivery provisions for medical cannabis products connect to section 342.42."
]
},
"citation": "342.42",
"subdivision": ""
},
{
"analysis": {
"added": [],
"removed": [],
"summary": "References that pharmacists must be licensed under Minnesota Statutes chapter 151 to consult and approve certain medical cannabis distribution actions.",
"modified": [
"Clarifies professional licensing requirement for pharmacists in distribution approvals under the medical cannabis program."
]
},
"citation": "151",
"subdivision": ""
}
]Progress through the legislative process
In Committee