What is a Registered Designated Caregiver?
Updated 10-8-24
A registered designated caregiver is someone over the age of 18 who assists a medical cannabis patient by administering cannabis, picking up medical cannabis from a distributor, or, cultivating cannabis plants on the patient’s behalf. A caregiver can grow up to eight cannabis plants for a patient and may not be a caregiver for more than six patients at once. A caregiver can also extract cannabis concentrates from home grown plants for patients subject to one caveat: extractions cannot involve a volatile solvent (see Minn. Stat. Sec. 342.09, subd. 3). Note: patients who live in the same household count as one patient.
How to Become a Registered Designated Caregiver
The medical cannabis patient must log in to their medical cannabis patient file within the Office of Medical Cannabis and add a caregiver, along with any other information asked for.
If the registered designated caregiver is going to cultivate cannabis plants for the patient, the patient must assign their right to cultivate cannabis plants to the registered designated caregiver in their file.
If the registered caregiver is going to cultivate cannabis plants for the patient, the patient must assign their right to cultivate cannabis plants to the registered designated caregiver in their file.
Update 10/8/24: Our friends at Healing Fear Consulting met with the OCM last week and are advising that patients also email medical.cannabis@state.mn.us as the Office of Medical Cannabis is still setting up a designated grow process.
Once the registered designated caregiver is approved, they may pick up or cultivate cannabis on the patient’s behalf.
Also, as of July 1, 2024, caregivers no longer have to go through background checks to be approved!
OCM’s How to Become a Caregiver Page: https://mn.gov/ocm/dmc/caregivers/become-caregiver/
Becoming a Medical Patient
By the way - it is now free to register with the state as a medical patient (HF100 made that change last year). With that, coupled with the broad qualifying conditions, you may want to consider registering in the medical program if it is potentially helpful for you in order to get the employment, housing and other legal protections, delegate your plant count to a caregiver if you don't want to grow, etc. Your first step to becoming a patient will be getting certified for your medical condition. Once you receive your certification, you are ready to enroll! Check out the links below for detailed guides on becoming a patient.
https://mn.gov/ocm/dmc/patients/the-basics/how-to-become-a-patient.jsp
https://mn.gov/ocm/assets/Medical%20Cannabis%20Patient%20Registration%20Guide_tcm1202-628315.pdf