Five weeks into Minnesota's medical marijuana program, there are still more doctors than patients enrolled in the program -- but that could soon change.

As of Friday, 528 patients have been certified to legally treat their illnesses with cannabis pills or liquids, and 278 were fully enrolled in the program. The state has estimated that there are as many as 5,000 patients eligible and able to use the program, but many have struggled to find doctors willing to help them enroll.

To date, 345 doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners have registered with the state to enroll patients to participate in the program. Minnesota legalized medical marijuana on July 1 for certain patients, with certain medical conditions.

New York’s medical cannabis program made a major announcement, Minnesota patients are pinching pennies to get their medicine, the governor of Wyoming is looking at legalization, and if you’re a Canadian patient, your wallet might be getting a break soon. Here’s what’s happening in the cannabis world – are you informed?

U.S. Cannabis Updates

COLORADO

Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of the state’s two medical weed manufacturers, has jacked up prices by 15-20 percent on all its products, forcing chronically ill patients to head back to the streets to treat their pain.

Minnesota Medical Solutions, one of two Minnesota medical marijuana producers, is expanding to the state of New York.

The company started sales earlier this month in Minnesota, and was one of five successful bidders to provide similar products in New York.

The New York branch, Empire State Health Solutions, will be run by the same Minnesota physician, Dr. Kyle Kingsley.

Kingsley said Empire State Health Solutions will be developing a growing and manufacturing operation in Perth, in central New York state.

Note: This post has been updated to correct for a typo in the original data release that overstated the number of registered physicians by thousands. There are 334 practitioners registered with the Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis.

After one month of legal medical marijuana in Minnesota, there are still more doctors than patients enrolled in the program.

One month into legalization, 250 people have enrolled in the new program. Meanwhile, there are 334 health care practitioners registered with the Office of Medical Cannabis.

Amelia Weaver, 9, started receiving medical marijuana treatments Friday for a rare form of epilepsy. Her parents say that her seizures have decreased dramatically since treatment began.

It's early days, but a Hibbing couple are ecstatic about their daughter's initial response to treatment with medical marijuana.

"We gave her her first dose on Friday morning," Angie Weaver said on Monday about 9-year-old daughter Amelia. "She had a seizure-free day."

Amelia, who has Dravet syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy, had been suffering between 30 and 80 drop seizures per day, her mother said. In a drop seizure, the individual temporarily loses muscle strength and often falls without any ability to catch herself.

Since 1970, all Cannabis plants have been classified as controlled substances by the federal government, but nearly half of all states, including Minnesota, now define hemp as distinct from marijuana.

Genetic differences between hemp and marijuana determine whether Cannabis plants have the potential for psychoactivity, a new study by University of Minnesota scientists shows.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It’s a 400-mile, seven-hour, $100 or more journey from Maria Botker’s home in tiny Clinton to the nearest clinic where she can buy medical marijuana — the only drug that does the trick for her daughter’s rare and aggressive seizure disorder.

In addition to the medicine’s high cost, the short list of qualifying conditions and the difficulty in getting a doctor’s approval to sign up, there’s one more thing making the program difficult for Minnesota patients. Some have to come an awfully long way to get it, with only two of eight dispensaries opening since the July 1 launch.

Only smoke-free medical marijuana, sold as pills, oils or tinctures, will be available for qualifying patients.

Jessica Blake has been battling a potentially deadly brain tumor for months. The former Esko high school teacher lives in Duluth, where her parents have moved in to help care for her.

It’s been tough lately. Blake can’t keep most medicine down, and the conventional drug she got from her doctor didn’t work.

“It actually gave me hallucinations,” she recalled. “It was terrifying. I don’t ever want to experience that again.” The hallucinations went on for two days.

“When Jessica said that was two lost days, that’s very difficult,” said her mother, Kathleen Blake. “Because she is not sure how much time she has.”

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Maria Botker has to drive 400 miles round-trip to buy the medical marijuana that treats her daughter Greta's rare seizure disorder. She's not the only Minnesotan making long drives.

Just two facilities in Minneapolis and Eagan opened when Minnesota's new medical marijuana program launched this month. That pits patients and parents in rural areas with long trips and extra expenses to buy the new medicine.

A third clinic will open in Rochester this week. Eventually eight sites will be scattered across Minnesota.

Botker says more locations are needed. Sen. Scott Dibble agrees.