Did medical enrollment fall after adult-use sales began?

Not in the published endpoints. OCM described Minnesota as unusual because registrations often fall after adult-use legalization. Enrollment here was higher in September 2026 than before the 2023 and 2024 program changes. That does not isolate adult-use as the cause.

Is the roughly $100 million medical figure a 2026 year-to-date total?

No. It is OCM’s approximate total for the first year of state-licensed adult-use retail. The monthly chart is only January through July 2026, and those rows should not be added to the press figure.

What share of retail sales is medical?

In the September 1 Market Monitor extract, medical sales were 46.3% of combined state-licensed sales in January 2026 and 36.4% in July 2026. Those percentages are Hub calculations from OCM’s dollar totals.

What tax does a registry patient avoid?

The Department of Revenue says a registry patient buying from a medical-endorsed business is exempt from both the 15% cannabis tax and sales tax. The $100 receipt on this page is an illustration. Local tax rates differ, and visiting or tribal-program patients are not covered by that exemption.

Are the county, age, and condition charts current?

No. Those charts are the MDH dashboard for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. OCM has not published a newer machine-readable county, age, or condition table that this page can use. They are labeled as a 2023 snapshot on purpose.

Does this page say whether a medical card is worth it?

No. It describes the program. It is not medical advice and it does not estimate one person’s savings. Start with the medical-card guide, the cost page, and the pros and cons.

Research Desk · Official figures

Medical enrollment often falls after adult-use legalization. Minnesota’s program more than doubled instead.

Q: How many Minnesotans are medical cannabis patients?

The Office of Cannabis Management said more than 90,000 people were registered patients on September 15, 2026, up from just over 41,000 before the 2023 fee removal and 2024 condition expansion. A separate annual-report count found 71,699 active approved patients on December 24, 2025. Those are different dates and different definitions.

Q: What changes on January 1, 2027?

OCM’s summary of the 2026 law says the separate medical and adult-use supply chains streamline on that date. The patient registry and the cannabis excise-tax exemption stay. A macrobusiness license, capped at eight, replaces the medical combination license.

In many states, medical enrollment falls once adult-use stores open. Michigan’s registry was down to 50,975 patients by August 31, 2026, and that month its medical stores sold about $296,000 against $258.8 million in adult-use. Minnesota went the other way: from just over 41,000 patients before the 2023–24 changes to more than 90,000 registered patients on September 15, 2026. Medical cannabis was still 36.4% of state-licensed retail sales in July 2026, using a Hub calculation on OCM’s dollar totals.

This page answers who those patients are, where they lived in the last full public county snapshot, what they buy, what a registry patient saves at the register, and what changes on January 1, 2027. It is a data story, not medical advice. For the application itself, use the Minnesota medical card guide.

Compiled September 24, 2026; each chart shows its own source date. Blank months are missing, not zero.

Registered patients

90,000+

OCM press bound, September 15, 2026. Up from just over 41,000 before the 2023–24 program changes.

Medical sales, first year

~$100 million

OCM’s approximate figure for the first year of state-licensed adult-use retail. Not a monthly sum.

Medical locations

Up from 15 the prior year. OCM 2026 Annual Report, data through late December 2025.

Medical sales, July 2026

$10,013,765

Exact extract value is $10,013,764.68. August and September were not in this extract.

The number that surprised people

OCM said enrollment had more than doubled from just over 41,000 before patient fees were removed and the fixed condition list was opened up. The interactive year in review tells the combined adult-use story. This section stays on the medical counts, and it does not glue unlike definitions into one line.

From just over 41,000 to more than 90,000

OCM said registered medical enrollment more than doubled, from just over 41,000 before the 2023 and 2024 changes to more than 90,000 on September 15, 2026.

Before the 2023 fee removal and 2024 condition expansion

Just over 41,000

Registered patients, September 15, 2026

More than 90,000

Bar lengths use 41,000 and 90,000 only to illustrate OCM’s “more than doubled” description. They are press bounds, not exact registry counts, and they are not plotted on the enrollment line below.

Source: Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management. As of September 15, 2026.

Press bounds. Not an exact headcount.

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Patients since 2015

The MDH registry rose from 837 patients in 2015 to 40,345 in the first quarter of 2023. Later official counts use different definitions: 71,699 active patients on December 24, 2025, and more than 90,000 registered patients on September 15, 2026.

Green line: patients approved in the MDH registry, 2015–2023 Q1. Points are not interpolated.
Copper dots use different definitions: 37,230 active (Aug 2022), 71,699 active (Dec 24, 2025), and a “more than 90,000” registered bound (Sep 15, 2026).
Yellow band: 2020–2021 counts were inflated because enrollments did not expire during COVID-19. OCM’s market analysis also says “more than 72,000” active patients in December 2025. That differs slightly from the annual report’s dated count of 71,699 on December 24, so only the dated count is plotted.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health, via the Legislative Reference Library; later points from OCM reports and the September 15, 2026 update. Data period: 2015 through September 15, 2026.

2023 snapshot for the green line. Copper points are labeled separately because “approved in the registry,” “active,” and “registered” are not the same measure.

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Why enrollment could grow after adult-use

OCM’s market analysis says the growth is most likely due to the 2024 expansion of qualifying conditions. The fixed condition list came off in July 2024. Dried flower arrived in March 2022 and gummies in August 2022. OCM’s September 15 update ties the doubling to the Legislature eliminating patient fees in 2023 and expanding qualifying conditions in 2024. None of these dates proves why any one person enrolled.

What changed in the program

Delivery methods expanded from 2015 through 2024, the fixed condition list was removed in July 2024, adult-use retail began in September 2025, and supply chains are set to streamline on January 1, 2027.

2014
Medical program established
OCM’s market analysis dates the program to 2014. It does not give a month on that page.
July 1, 2015
First delivery methods
Vaporized concentrate oil, sublingual sprays, oral suspensions, tinctures, oral solutions, pills, and capsules.
August 1, 2017
Topicals added
Balms, creams, lotions, and topical bars.
August 1, 2020
Dissolvables and lozenges
Dissolvable tablets and powders, plus lozenges.
March 1, 2022
Dried flower
Available for patients age 21 and older.
August 1, 2022
Gummies
Gummies and chews became available.
July 2024
Fixed conditions list removed
A practitioner can certify a condition. The market analysis annotates this as July 2024.
August 1, 2024
Dry-herb vaporization
Added to the approved delivery methods.
September 2025
Adult-use retail begins
State-licensed adult-use sales started. Medical enrollment kept growing.
January 1, 2027
Supply chains streamline
Medical and adult-use supply chains are scheduled to merge. The registry and the excise-tax exemption stay.

Source: Annual report; 2026 legislative summary. Data period: 2014–2027.

The January 1, 2027 mark is from OCM’s 2026 legislative summary, retrieved September 22, 2026.

Who the patients were

The newest condition, age, and race tables in hand are still the MDH dashboard for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. Chronic pain, PTSD, and intractable pain were the three largest certifications. A 2024 health-department table, covering approvals through the third quarter, counted 46,388 patients, including 410 under 18 (0.88%).

Qualifying conditions, first quarter of 2023

Chronic pain, PTSD, and intractable pain were the largest certifications among 40,345 registry patients. Patients can have more than one condition.

Chronic pain24,130 · 59.8%

Post-traumatic stress disorder12,696 · 31.5%

Intractable pain12,627 · 31.3%

Severe and persistent muscle spasms2,333 · 5.8%

Cancer1,935 · 4.8%

Obstructive sleep apnea1,803 · 4.5%

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease948 · 2.3%

Seizures849 · 2.1%

Autism785 · 1.9%

Glaucoma228 · 0.6%

HIV/AIDS214 · 0.5%

Tourette syndrome152 · 0.4%

Terminal illness128 · 0.3%

Chronic vocal or motor tic disorder60 · 0.1%

Alzheimer’s disease45 · 0.1%

ALS44 · 0.1%

Sickle cell disease16 · <0.1%

Shares use the dashboard total of 40,345 patients. People can be certified for more than one condition, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health, via the Legislative Reference Library. As of quarter ending March 31, 2023.

2023 snapshot. Not a current registry mix. The fixed list was removed in July 2024, so today’s certifications are not limited to these names.

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Condition explainers on the Hub: chronic pain, PTSD, and cancer.

Age and gender, 2023 snapshot

In the quarter ending March 31, 2023, 20,835 patients were male, 19,011 were female, and the average age was 46.6. The largest bands were ages 36 to 49.

Female · 19,011Male · 20,835

0–4

5–17

18–24

25–35

36–49

50–64

65+

499 patients (1.2%) preferred not to give a gender. Average age was 46.6 years. The table footer in the PDF says “last updated March 31, 2022,” while the dashboard quarter is March 31, 2023 and the count matches 40,345.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health, via the Legislative Reference Library. As of quarter ending March 31, 2023.

2023 snapshot. A later MDH report says ages 36–49 were 33.89% of patients approved in 2024 through the third quarter (15,719 of 46,388). That is a different year and is not drawn on this pyramid.

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Race and ethnicity against the 2022 Census

White patients were 81.4% of the registry. Asian patients were 0.9% of the registry and 5.4% of the Census comparison MDH printed.

American Indian alone980 · 2.4% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 1.4%

Asian alone347 · 0.9% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 5.4%

Black alone2,169 · 5.4% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 7.4%

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone38 · 0.1% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 0.1%

White alone32,835 · 81.4% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 83.0%

Two or more races1,497 · 3.7% of registry

2022 Census estimate: 2.8%

Other/unknown2,479 · 6.1% of registry

Other (743), prefer not to answer (1,619), and unknown (117). The dashboard does not print a Census comparison for this group. Hispanic ethnicity is recorded separately: 1,672 (4.1%).

Green is the registry. Blue is the Census comparison printed in the same dashboard. MDH warned that the two sources collect race differently.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health, via the Legislative Reference Library. As of quarter ending March 31, 2023, compared with 2022 Census estimates in the same PDF.

2023 snapshot. MDH said the collection methods differ.

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Conditions among patients under 18

In OCM’s patient-priorities analysis from January 2023 through July 2025, autism was the top condition among patients under 18, at 268, followed by seizures (58), PTSD (47), pain (32), and cancer (29).

Autism268

Seizures58

PTSD47

Pain32

Cancer29

Source: Minnesota OCM, Medical Cannabis Patient Priorities. Data period: January 1, 2023 to July 31, 2025.

A separate 2024 count found 410 patients under 18, or 0.88% of that year’s approved patients. Do not treat 268 as a share of the 410.

Where they live, and how many medical counters there are

The metro share of patients moved from 51% at the end of March 2023 to 53% on June 30, 2024, and 55% on Oct. 1, 2025. The OCM 2026 Annual Report, data through late December 2025, counted 23 medical locations, up from 15. This page does not map those stores. OCM’s location list was not available to this review, and the Hub directory’s medical flag does not match the state’s count of 23.

Share of patients in the seven-county metro

The seven-county Twin Cities share rose from 51% in the quarter ending March 31, 2023 to 55% on Oct. 1, 2025. Every Minnesota county was represented.

51%

Seven-county metro share

As of quarter ending March 31, 2023

53%

Seven-county metro share

As of June 30, 2024

55%

Seven-county metro share

As of Oct. 1, 2025

Source: MDH dashboard, OCM 2025 annual report, and OCM 2026 annual report. As of quarter ending March 31, 2023; June 30, 2024; and Oct. 1, 2025.

Three snapshots. The 55% point is Oct. 1, 2025. Not a monthly series, and not the December 24, 2025 active-patient count.

Patients by county, 2023 snapshot

The first-quarter 2023 dashboard lists patients in every county. Hennepin had 7,870. Printed county rows add to 40,263, short of the 40,345 registry total. Counts under 17 are printed as zero.

County

Hover or focus a county. Darker green means more patients in this 2023 snapshot.

Copper stripes mark Sibley and St. Louis, where the printed counts look swapped. Zero-shaded counties are suppressed, not confirmed at zero.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health, via the Legislative Reference Library. As of quarter ending March 31, 2023.

2023 snapshot. Sibley is printed at 908 and St. Louis at 84. Those two values look transposed for the size of the counties. This map does not correct the PDF.

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Medical locations, 15 then 23

The OCM 2026 Annual Report, data through late December 2025, counted 23 licensed or endorsed medical locations, up from 15 the year before, across eight congressional districts.

Prior year

OCM 2026 Annual Report, data through late December 2025

Source: Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), 2026 Annual Report. Data through late December 2025.

Licensed or endorsed medical locations, across eight congressional districts. This is not a map, and it is not the Hub directory count.

The medical market in dollars

July 2026 medical sales were $9,462,444.41. Adult-use that month was higher, and medical’s share of the combined total (Hub calculation from OCM dollar totals) fell from 46.3% in January to 33.9% in July. By Hub calculation, the seven medical months in this extract add to $74,762,181.86. That sum is not the roughly $100 million first-year figure. Read the numbers reconciliation before combining any of these.

Medical and adult-use sales, January–July 2026

Medical sales moved from 46.3% of combined sales in January 2026 to 33.9% in July. July medical sales were $10,013,764.68.

Adult-use Medical

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug

Monthly retail sales and the Hub’s medical-share calculation

Jan 2026

Adult-use: $10,252,819.55
Medical: $8,837,370.95
Medical share: 46.3%

Feb 2026

Adult-use: $10,087,055.33
Medical: $8,549,844.49
Medical share: 45.9%

Mar 2026

Adult-use: $12,605,195.12
Medical: $9,404,137.00
Medical share: 42.7%

Apr 2026

Adult-use: $14,026,691.47
Medical: $10,023,466.82
Medical share: 41.7%

May 2026

Adult-use: $16,618,449.12
Medical: $9,274,559.35
Medical share: 35.8%

Jun 2026

Adult-use: $17,150,257.71
Medical: $9,196,594.16
Medical share: 34.9%

Jul 2026

Adult-use: $17,532,160.36
Medical: $10,013,764.68
Medical share: 36.4%

Aug 2026

Adult-use: $18,421,101.06
Medical: $9,462,444.41
Medical share: 33.9%

Monthly retail sales and the Hub’s medical-share calculation
Month	Adult-use	Medical	Medical share
Jan 2026	$10,252,819.55	$8,837,370.95	46.3%
Feb 2026	$10,087,055.33	$8,549,844.49	45.9%
Mar 2026	$12,605,195.12	$9,404,137.00	42.7%
Apr 2026	$14,026,691.47	$10,023,466.82	41.7%
May 2026	$16,618,449.12	$9,274,559.35	35.8%
Jun 2026	$17,150,257.71	$9,196,594.16	34.9%
Jul 2026	$17,532,160.36	$10,013,764.68	36.4%
Aug 2026	$18,421,101.06	$9,462,444.41	33.9%

Source: Minnesota OCM Cannabis Market Monitor. Data through: July 2026.

August and September 2026 were blank in this extract. Medical share is a Hub calculation. The same series is on the Market Monitor archive.

Download this chart’s data (CSV)

Open the dated Market Monitor archive, or download its original CSV.

First-year sales, the rounded version

OCM estimated about $100 million in medical retail and about $150 million in adult-use during the first year of state-licensed adult-use sales, more than $250 million combined.

Medical, approximately $100 million

Adult-use, approximately $150 million

Together, OCM said more than $250 million. These are rounded press figures. Do not add them to the January–July rows.

Source: Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management. As of September 15, 2026.

Rounded press figures. The state also reported $45.6 million in cannabis and lower-potency hemp tax revenue from September 2025 through July 2026. Medical sales to registry patients are outside that tax.

Products purchased

5,476,773

January 2023 through July 2025, OCM patient-priorities report.

Transactions

1,596,564

Same window. A transaction can include more than one product.

Patients in that window

69,328

Not the September 2026 registration count.

Purchases peaked at 217,233 products in May 2025 and then declined, even as the patient count was higher than in August 2022 (37,230 active patients then; more than 72,000 by December 2025). The monthly patient-and-product chart behind that sentence is an image in the market analysis. This page does not trace it.

What is on the medical shelf

In a September 2025 survey, 478 of 2,399 sampled patients responded (20%). Flower was the most named preference at 39.4%, then gummies at 15.5%, vapes at 14.0%, and capsules or tablets at 13.4%. Those are selected answers, not a full shelf mix, so the bars are not forced to 100%.

Medical products available, 2022–2025

Vape products rose from 38 in 2022 to 282 in 2025. Ten-milligram gummies rose from 8 to 35. Capsules and oral solutions did not.

Vape products

2022

2023

206

2024

282

2025

Gummies, 10 mg

2022

2023

2024

2025

Gummies, 5 mg

2022

2023

2024

2025

Capsules and tablets

2022

2023

2024

2025

Oral solutions

2022

2023

2024

2025

Tinctures and sprays

2022

2023

2024

2025

Topicals

2022

2023

2024

2025

Dried flower, two report vintages

455 products in 2024 (2025 annual report) and 485 in 2025, of which 467 were over 15% THC. 2025 had no flower product under 5% THC. The 2024 count is from the prior annual report, not the same table as 2025.

Source: Minnesota OCM 2026 Annual Report to the Legislature. Data period: 2022–2025.

The 2025 annual report listed 139 vape products for 2024. This report’s table lists 206. The chart uses 206 and keeps the conflict visible.

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Median THC in medical vapes

Median THC in vaporized oil was 76% in 2022, 85% in 2023, and 87% in both 2024 and 2025. The 2025 range was 7.3% to 90%.

Source: Minnesota OCM 2026 Annual Report to the Legislature, Table 4.2. Data period: 2022–2025.

The band is the minimum-to-maximum range in that table. The line is the median.

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What patients said they prefer

Flower led the September 2025 patient survey at 39.4%. Under 18, oral solutions or tinctures led at 34.8%. Ages 18 to 65 named flower at 53.7%.

All survey respondents

Flower39.4%

Gummies15.5%

Vapes14.0%

Capsules or tablets13.4%

Under 18

Oral solutions or tinctures34.8%

Gummies20.9%

Ages 18–65

Flower53.7%

Vapes21.7%

Age 65 and older

Flower40.9%

Gummies22.9%

Vapes11.45%

Source: Minnesota OCM, Medical Cannabis Patient Priorities. Data period: September 11–23, 2025.

Survey of 478 responses. Not a census of purchases. Missing product types are omitted rather than shown as zero.

What Minnesota’s studies report

These are observational program reports, not proof that cannabis treats cancer or pain. Among 6,621 cancer patients in the program from July 1, 2015, through December 31, 2023, OCM reported symptom improvement within four months for people who started with moderate or severe scores. The Hub write-up of the cancer report walks through that study in more detail.

Symptom relief in two different studies

In the cancer cohort, 47.2% reported less vomiting, 44% less depression, 40% less anxiety, and 38.2% better appetite within four months. In a separate chronic-pain study (patients who enrolled March 2022 to February 2023, bought for at least 8 months, and started with moderate-to-severe scores), 40.8% reported at least a 30% pain improvement within 4 months.

Cancer symptoms, within 4 months

Vomiting47.2%

Depression44.0%

Anxiety40.0%

Appetite38.2%

Chronic pain study, at least 30% PEG improvement within 4 months

Patients enrolled March 2022 to February 2023 who bought for at least 8 months and started with moderate-to-severe pain scores.

Enjoyment of life54.9%

General activity54.7%

Pain40.8%

Source: Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management; Pain study, DOI 10.1016/j.clinthera.2026.05.024. Data period: July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2023; pain study enrolled March 2022 to February 2023.

Do not combine the two studies into one success rate. Cancer figures are among patients with moderate or severe symptoms at baseline. Pain figures are among patients with moderate-to-severe baseline scores who kept buying for at least 8 months.

How long cancer patients kept buying

Of 6,621 cancer patients, 25.2% bought once (1,668 people) and 28.5% were still purchasing more than 12 months later (1,885 people).

Only one purchase

1,668 · 25.2%

Less than one month

645 · 9.7%

One to four months

995 · 15.0%

Four to eight months

739 · 11.2%

Eight to twelve months

689 · 10.4%

More than twelve months

1,885 · 28.5%

Source: Minnesota OCM Cancer Report 2026. Data period: July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2023.

Table 4.2, any cancer condition. The middle bands are from that table. They describe time between first and last purchase, not a clinical outcome.

What a patient saves at the register

On a $100 adult-use purchase, Minnesota taxes the cannabis tax and the sales tax on the same $100, not on top of each other. The tax calculator uses that rule. A registry patient at a medical-endorsed retailer owes neither tax, according to the Department of Revenue guide updated June 11, 2026. The medical savings tool and the cost guide cover certification costs, which this receipt does not.

Two receipts for $100 of product

An illustrated adult-use receipt on $100 adds $15.00 in cannabis tax, $6.88 in state sales tax, and $1.00 of local tax at a 1% example rate. The medical receipt for a registry patient at a medical-endorsed retailer is $100.

Adult-use receipt

Product: $100.00
Cannabis tax, 15%: $15.00
State sales tax, 6.875%: $6.88
Local sales tax, 1%: $1.00
Total: $122.88

Medical receipt

Product: $100.00
Cannabis tax: $0.00
State sales tax: $0.00
Local sales tax: $0.00
Total: $100.00

Registry patient at a medical-endorsed retailer. Tribal and visiting patients are not covered by this exemption.

Source: Minnesota Department of Revenue. Updated: June 11, 2026.

Illustration. The 1% local rate is the Hub’s example rate, not a quote for a city. Actual local rates vary. Tribal-program patients and visiting patients are not exempt.

Minnesota and nearby programs

Neighbor counts are not interchangeable. Minnesota’s figure is a “more than 90,000” registration bound. The Dakotas, Iowa, and Michigan publish card or patient counts on different days. Iowa’s program is low-THC. No per-resident rate is shown, because this page did not bring in a fresh Census population file.

Patient counts next door

Published patient or card counts: Minnesota more than 90,000 (September 15, 2026), Michigan 50,975 (August 31, 2026), South Dakota 19,821 (September 2, 2026), Iowa 17,741 (reported August 19, 2026), and North Dakota 10,710 (September 8, 2026).

MinnesotaMore than 90,000 · Registered medical cannabis patients · 2026-09-15

Medical registry; adult-use sales also legal

South Dakota19,821 · Approved patient cards · 2026-09-02

Medical

North Dakota10,710 · Cards issued · 2026-09-08

Medical

Iowa17,741 · Medical cannabidiol patients · 2026-08-19

Low-THC medical cannabidiol

Michigan50,975 · Registered patients · 2026-08-31

Medical registry after adult-use legalization

Minnesota’s bar uses the 90,000 press bound, so it is not the same kind of count as a card total. Illinois is omitted because only a secondary compilation was available. Wisconsin is omitted because this review does not have a primary cite for the lack of a program. Per-resident rates are omitted because this review did not add a new Census population pull.

Michigan in August 2026 sold $295,941.18 of medical cannabis and $258,791,318 of adult-use. That is one month, not a trend. Minnesota’s July 2026 medical share was still 36.4% (Hub calculation from OCM Market Monitor dollar totals).

Source: Minnesota; South Dakota; North Dakota; Iowa; Michigan. Data period: August 19 to September 15, 2026, depending on the state.

Definitions differ. Illinois is omitted because only a secondary compilation was available. Wisconsin is left off until a primary source is in hand.

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January 1, 2027

Minnesota OCM, 2026 Legislative Changes to Chapter 342. OCM policy summary PDF, retrieved September 22, 2026. Where the summary gives an effective date, these items start January 1, 2027.

The supply chains combine

Businesses no longer have to keep adult-use and medical activity on separate supply chains. The difference moves to the retail sale.

The registry stays

Enrollment, consultation, and the civil and criminal protections for patients and caregivers continue.

The excise exemption stays

The summary says the cannabis excise-tax exemption on medical products for patients is retained.

Patients get priority

A medical retail endorsement requires high-medical-need products and priority service. Cultivators must direct one-quarter of canopy to medical-endorsed businesses.

A macrobusiness license

It replaces the medical combination license. The cap is eight licenses. Canopy starts at 38,000 square feet.

A pharmacist is optional

Medical retailers other than macrobusinesses may contract with or employ a pharmacist or a medical cannabis consultant.

As of September 22, 2026. Autism and terminal-illness reports were still forthcoming in the September 15 OCM update, so this page has no figures from them. On December 24, 2025, active approved patients were 71,699.

Questions readers ask

How many Minnesotans are medical cannabis patients?: The Office of Cannabis Management said more than 90,000 people were registered patients on September 15, 2026, up from just over 41,000 before the 2023 fee removal and 2024 condition expansion. A separate annual-report count found 71,699 active approved patients on December 24, 2025. Those are different dates and different definitions.
Did medical enrollment fall after adult-use sales began?: Not in the published endpoints. OCM described Minnesota as unusual because registrations often fall after adult-use legalization. Enrollment here was higher in September 2026 than before the 2023 and 2024 program changes. That does not isolate adult-use as the cause.
Is the roughly $100 million medical figure a 2026 year-to-date total?: No. It is OCM’s approximate total for the first year of state-licensed adult-use retail. The monthly chart is only January through July 2026, and those rows should not be added to the press figure.
What share of retail sales is medical?: In the September 1 Market Monitor extract, medical sales were 46.3% of combined state-licensed sales in January 2026 and 36.4% in July 2026. Those percentages are Hub calculations from OCM’s dollar totals.
What tax does a registry patient avoid?: The Department of Revenue says a registry patient buying from a medical-endorsed business is exempt from both the 15% cannabis tax and sales tax. The $100 receipt on this page is an illustration. Local tax rates differ, and visiting or tribal-program patients are not covered by that exemption.
Are the county, age, and condition charts current?: No. Those charts are the MDH dashboard for the quarter ending March 31, 2023. OCM has not published a newer machine-readable county, age, or condition table that this page can use. They are labeled as a 2023 snapshot on purpose.
What changes on January 1, 2027?: OCM’s summary of the 2026 law says the separate medical and adult-use supply chains streamline on that date. The patient registry and the cannabis excise-tax exemption stay. A macrobusiness license, capped at eight, replaces the medical combination license.
Does this page say whether a medical card is worth it?: No. It describes the program. It is not medical advice and it does not estimate one person’s savings. Start with the medical-card guide, the cost page, and the pros and cons.

Program rules, separate from these market figures: pros and cons. Store listings, which are not the official 23-location count: medical dispensary pages.

Method, definitions, and what we left out

Registered is the September 15, 2026 press wording. Active approved is the December 24, 2025 annual-report wording. Patients approved in the registry is the MDH year-by-year table through early 2023. Approved-in-2024 (46,388) is another cut, from the health department’s cannabis-use report. None of these is a count of people who bought cannabis that month.

Press rounds (~$100 million, more than 90,000) are never added to dashboard cents. August and September 2026 sales are blank in the September 1 extract. Blank does not mean zero.

The 2024 new-patient share is 39.0% in the table (18,069 of 46,388) and 38.6% in that report’s narrative. This page uses the table when it mentions the count, and it does not pick a winner beyond noting the conflict. Vape products in 2024 are 206 in the 2026 annual report and 139 in the 2025 annual report.

County rows print to 40,263 against a registry N of 40,345. Kittson and Lincoln are 0 because counts under 17 are suppressed. Sibley and St. Louis are shown as printed. The age and race tables say “last updated March 31, 2022” in the PDF footer even though N matches the March 31, 2023 quarter.

Left off on purpose: the August 27, 2026 weekly registry count, because that page could not be re-checked past a bot wall; Illinois’ patient total from a secondary compilation; a Wisconsin “no program” claim without a primary cite; any price-study dollar figure; a medical-store map; and a Michigan enrollment trend before August 2026. Corrections: use the contact page and name the chart.

Download the tables

Each file includes a source URL and a retrieval date. The sales file repeats the Market Monitor extract already published at /api/research/market-monitor.csv.