When junior Hannah Selvig first found out about the new medical marijuana program qualifications, she immediately saw the benefits.

“This addition will open up more pain relieving access to people across the state,” Selvig said.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, severe pain may now become a qualifying condition for medical cannabis, commonly referred to as medical marijuana, by January 2016 instead of July of the same year, as previously planned.

Laura Bultman, chief medical officer at Minnesota Medical Solutions, a medical marijuana dispensary, said the drug provides many benefits.

“It offers treatment options to patients that are often at the end of their rope and out of options,” Bultman said. “Now we can see the medical benefits of something previously simply regarded as a drug.”

Bultman said she first got involved in medical marijuana after researching at length the effects of the drug.

“I discovered that the chemicals in cannabis act in very interesting ways on receptors in our bodies,” Bultman said.

According to Bultman, the new qualifying condition expands medical marijuana access to many Minnesotans living with chronic pain and other health issues.

“Chronic, debilitating and/or intractable pain is the most common indication in medical marijuana states,” Bultman said. “Research suggests that the chemicals in cannabis act on receptors in nerve cells that can help alleviate pain.”

According to the Pain Research Forum, many doctors and researchers remain undecided on the safety and benefits on patients because of the lack of long-standing clinical testing.

Bultman said she thinks legal issues and regulations involved with medical marijuana makes conducting studies difficult.

“Doing business in medical cannabis has a lot more restrictions than any other kind of medical business,” Bultman said. “Patients must be very careful to adhere to Minnesota regulations, and avoid any sort of federal infringement like associating medical marijuana use with federally funded programs.”

Junior Dotan Appelbaum said he believes the Minnesota legislature should legalize marijuana for all users, not just medical patients.

“The federal and state governments have no right to control the use of a substance non-harmful to the public,” Appelbaum said. “There is no legitimate reason for the banning.”

According to Bultman, no age regulations exist for medical marijuana use in Minnesota.

“For patients, there is no limitation,” Bultman said. “We have small children taking cannabis high in the non-intoxicating chemical CBD to treat seizures and symptoms associated with cancer.”

Bultman said the new qualifying condition will have a positive effect on medical marijuana use in Minnesota.

“As more and more physicians and families start seeing benefits, people will slowly let go of some of the myths and stigma,” Bultman said.