Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes, Minnesota Department of Health

In episode 55 Chris Tholkes, Director of the Office of Medical Cannabis at the Minnesota Department of Health.  Chris earned her Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Minnesota State Moorhead and her Masters of Public Administration from Hamline University.  Chris has an extensive background working for the MN Department of Health beginning in 2009, so for the past 14 years has held a variety of positions focused on improving population and community health. Her role as the Director of the Medical Cannabis program is one where she is setting the rules and policies. Cannabis is still illegal at the federal government level so at the state level they are creating their own regulations and policies. Minnesota is a leader on researching medical cannabis effectiveness with requiring a patient self-evaluation prior to meeting with a Pharmacist (Pharm-D) at a medical cannabis dispensary. This was an area that was very new to us and we learned a lot. We would encourage you to listen and learn. In researching for the podcast here are some of the videos we watched below. Also, the qualifying medical conditions. MN Department of Health Medical Cannabis website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/cannabis/index.html The Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: Jonathan’s Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89AxHenylC4 The Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: Mike's Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqqzb1kz42E Qualifying conditions Alzheimer's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Autism spectrum disorder (must meet DSM-5) Cancer* Chronic motor or vocal tic disorder Chronic pain Glaucoma HIV/AIDS Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease Intractable pain Irritable bowel syndrome Obsessive-compulsive disorder Obstructive sleep apnea Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) Sickle cell disease Terminal illness, with a probable life expectancy of less than one year* Tourette syndrome