Patients Star in Effort to Counter Medical Marijuana Stigma

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Medical marijuana manufacturers are putting patient's success stories in the spotlight in hopes of countering longstanding stigma about the drug.

Sales of medical marijuana pills, oils and vapors started in July. Jess Blake from Duluth says the treatment for a cancerous brain tumor has turned her life around.

But companies and patients themselves say they still feel the hesitance surrounding marijuana. Many doctors have opted not to certify patients for the program, citing a lack of solid research on marijuana's efficacy and side effects.

Officials from the two companies cultivating marijuana for the state say they're upping their outreach to physicians, including individual meetings with doctors and presentations to foundations and trade groups.

The Minnesota Medical Association said last month that "significant questions about the efficacy of medical cannabis remain."