Subdivision 1.Patient registry program; establishment.

(a) The commissioner shall establish a patient registry program to evaluate data on patient demographics, effective treatment options, clinical outcomes, and quality-of-life outcomes for the purpose of reporting on the benefits, risks, and outcomes regarding patients with a qualifying medical condition engaged in the therapeutic use of medical cannabis.

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(b) The establishment of the registry program shall not be construed or interpreted to condone or promote the illicit recreational use of marijuana.

Subd. 2.Commissioner duties.

(a) The commissioner shall:

(1) give notice of the program to health care practitioners in the state who are eligible to serve as health care practitioners and explain the purposes and requirements of the program;

(2) allow each health care practitioner who meets or agrees to meet the program’s requirements and who requests to participate, to be included in the registry program to collect data for the patient registry;

(3) provide explanatory information and assistance to each health care practitioner in understanding the nature of therapeutic use of medical cannabis within program requirements;

(4) create and provide a certification to be used by a health care practitioner for the practitioner to certify whether a patient has been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition and include in the certification an option for the practitioner to certify whether the patient, in the health care practitioner’s medical opinion, is developmentally or physically disabled and, as a result of that disability, the patient requires assistance in administering medical cannabis or obtaining medical cannabis from a distribution facility;

(5) supervise the participation of the health care practitioner in conducting patient treatment and health records reporting in a manner that ensures stringent security and record-keeping requirements and that prevents the unauthorized release of private data on individuals as defined by section 13.02;

(6) develop safety criteria for patients with a qualifying medical condition as a requirement of the patient’s participation in the program, to prevent the patient from undertaking any task under the influence of medical cannabis that would constitute negligence or professional malpractice on the part of the patient; and

(7) conduct research and studies based on data from health records submitted to the registry program and submit reports on intermediate or final research results to the legislature and major scientific journals. The commissioner may contract with a third party to complete the requirements of this clause. Any reports submitted must comply with section 152.28, subdivision 2.

(b) The commissioner may add a delivery method under section 152.22, subdivision 6, or add, remove, or modify a qualifying medical condition under section 152.22, subdivision 14, upon a petition from a member of the public or the task force on medical cannabis therapeutic research or as directed by law. The commissioner shall evaluate all petitions to add a qualifying medical condition or to remove or modify an existing qualifying medical condition submitted by the task force on medical cannabis therapeutic research or as directed by law and may make the addition, removal, or modification if the commissioner determines the addition, removal, or modification is warranted based on the best available evidence and research. If the commissioner wishes to add a delivery method under section 152.22, subdivision 6, or add or remove a qualifying medical condition under section 152.22, subdivision 14, the commissioner must notify the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative policy committees having jurisdiction over health and public safety of the addition or removal and the reasons for its addition or removal, including any written comments received by the commissioner from the public and any guidance received from the task force on medical cannabis research, by January 15 of the year in which the commissioner wishes to make the change. The change shall be effective on August 1 of that year, unless the legislature by law provides otherwise.

Subd. 3.Patient application.

(a) The commissioner shall develop a patient application for enrollment into the registry program. The application shall be available to the patient and given to health care practitioners in the state who are eligible to serve as health care practitioners. The application must include:

(1) the name, mailing address, and date of birth of the patient;

(2) the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the patient’s health care practitioner;

(3) the name, mailing address, and date of birth of the patient’s designated caregiver, if any, or the patient’s parent, legal guardian, or spouse if the parent, legal guardian, or spouse will be acting as a caregiver;

(4) a copy of the certification from the patient’s health care practitioner that is dated within 90 days prior to submitting the application that certifies that the patient has been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition; and

(5) all other signed affidavits and enrollment forms required by the commissioner under sections 152.22 to 152.37, including, but not limited to, the disclosure form required under paragraph (c).

(b) The commissioner shall require a patient to resubmit a copy of the certification from the patient’s health care practitioner on a yearly basis and shall require that the recertification be dated within 90 days of submission.

(c) The commissioner shall develop a disclosure form and require, as a condition of enrollment, all patients to sign a copy of the disclosure. The disclosure must include:

(1) a statement that, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner, or an employee of any state agency, may not be held civilly or criminally liable for any injury, loss of property, personal injury, or death caused by any act or omission while acting within the scope of office or employment under sections 152.22 to 152.37; and

(2) the patient’s acknowledgment that enrollment in the patient registry program is conditional on the patient’s agreement to meet all of the requirements of sections 152.22 to 152.37.

Subd. 4.Registered designated caregiver.

(a) The commissioner shall register a designated caregiver for a patient if the patient requires assistance in administering medical cannabis or obtaining medical cannabis from a distribution facility and the caregiver has agreed, in writing, to be the patient’s designated caregiver. As a condition of registration as a designated caregiver, the commissioner shall require the person to:

(1) be at least 18 years of age;

(2) agree to only possess the patient’s medical cannabis for purposes of assisting the patient; and

(3) agree that if the application is approved, the person will not be a registered designated caregiver for more than six registered patients at one time. Patients who reside in the same residence shall count as one patient.

(b) The commissioner shall conduct a criminal background check on the designated caregiver prior to registration to ensure that the person does not have a conviction for a disqualifying felony offense. Any cost of the background check shall be paid by the person seeking registration as a designated caregiver. A designated caregiver must have the criminal background check renewed every two years.

(c) Nothing in sections 152.22 to 152.37 shall be construed to prevent a person registered as a designated caregiver from also being enrolled in the registry program as a patient and possessing and using medical cannabis as a patient.

Subd. 5.Parents, legal guardians, and spouses.

A parent, legal guardian, or spouse of a patient may act as the caregiver to the patient without having to register as a designated caregiver. The parent, legal guardian, or spouse shall follow all of the requirements of parents, legal guardians, and spouses listed in sections 152.22 to 152.37. Nothing in sections 152.22 to 152.37 limits any legal authority a parent, legal guardian, or spouse may have for the patient under any other law.

Subd. 6.Patient enrollment.

(a) After receipt of a patient’s application, application fees, and signed disclosure, the commissioner shall enroll the patient in the registry program and issue the patient and patient’s registered designated caregiver or parent, legal guardian, or spouse, if applicable, a registry verification. The commissioner shall approve or deny a patient’s application for participation in the registry program within 30 days after the commissioner receives the patient’s application and application fee. The commissioner may approve applications up to 60 days after the receipt of a patient’s application and application fees until January 1, 2016. A patient’s enrollment in the registry program shall only be denied if the patient:

(1) does not have certification from a health care practitioner that the patient has been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition;

(2) has not signed and returned the disclosure form required under subdivision 3, paragraph (c), to the commissioner;

(3) does not provide the information required;

(4) has previously been removed from the registry program for violations of section 152.30 or 152.33; or

(5) provides false information.

(b) The commissioner shall give written notice to a patient of the reason for denying enrollment in the registry program.

(c) Denial of enrollment into the registry program is considered a final decision of the commissioner and is subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act pursuant to chapter 14.

(d) A patient’s enrollment in the registry program may only be revoked upon the death of the patient or if a patient violates a requirement under section 152.30 or 152.33.

(e) The commissioner shall develop a registry verification to provide to the patient, the health care practitioner identified in the patient’s application, and to the manufacturer. The registry verification shall include:

(1) the patient’s name and date of birth;

(2) the patient registry number assigned to the patient; and

(3) the name and date of birth of the patient’s registered designated caregiver, if any, or the name of the patient’s parent, legal guardian, or spouse if the parent, legal guardian, or spouse will be acting as a caregiver.

Subd. 7.Notice requirements.

Patients and registered designated caregivers shall notify the commissioner of any address or name change within 30 days of the change having occurred. A patient or registered designated caregiver is subject to a $100 fine for failure to notify the commissioner of the change.