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By Peter Cox

Marijuana gummies and chews will be available for medical cannabis patients in Minnesota starting on Aug. 1.

Patients will be able to purchase them through the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries.

The Department of Health said Tuesday that registered patients interested in these products should make an appointment with a dispensary pharmacist so they can be preapproved for gummies and chews when they become available. Consultations are required when patients change the kind of cannabis they receive.

“The state’s medical cannabis program continues to respond to the needs of patients, and gummies and chews may be useful options for those who may have difficulty swallowing pills or tablets, do not want to smoke medical cannabis, or don’t like the taste of other forms of medicine,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a news release.

The Health Department noted that medical cannabis chews and gummies “are separate from the recently authorized hemp-derived edible cannabinoid products regulated by the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy.”

Packaging for medical marijuana gummies and chews is limited to a single serving size of 10 milligrams and 100 milligrams per package.

The state currently allows medical marijuana in pills, oils, liquids, topicals and lozenges. Cannabis flower for smoking was added earlier this year.

The Health Department said adding chews and gummies was recommended last year during an “annual petition and comment process to solicit public input on potential qualifying medical conditions and delivery methods for medicine for the Medical Cannabis Program.”

That process is currently underway for 2022, with petitions accepted through the end of July.