New year, new laws in Minnesota

When the new year takes effect, so will several new Minnesota laws.

While many of them will function largely as legal minutiae for most people, a few could have noticeable effects on daily life for some Minnesotans.

Medical marijuana sample packaging Courtesy of Minnesota Medical Solutions

1) Pot for pain

Minnesotans diagnosed with intractable pain will become eligible to use medical marijuana to treat the disease. The added condition could bolster enrollment numbers and make the drug cheaper for cannabis patients.

The state defines intractable pain as a condition "in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated with the consent of the patient and in which, in the generally accepted course of medical practice, no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible, or none has been found after reasonable efforts," according to the 2014 medical marijuana law.

Critics of Minnesota's medical cannabis program have said its list of qualifying conditions isn't expansive enough and its enrollment numbers are too low — driving up costs and pushing some people back to the black market.

2) More transparency in hospital financial aid

The IRS recently began requiring nonprofit hospitals to tell patients about their financial assistance options before beginning what are known as "extraordinary" bill collections (things like wage garnishment or using a debt collection agency). But when this policy began, it didn't give patients any recourse if they believed the rules were violated.

That changes in Minnesota on Jan. 1. A new law allows a patient to bring action against a hospital if it doesn't provide a plain-language summary of its financial assistance policy. If a patient wins the case, the patient is entitled to having his or her legal fees paid.

3) Insurance required for vehicle registration

In an attempt to lower the rate of uninsured motorists on Minnesota roads, the state will require proof of insurance for drivers registering any motor vehicle or motorcycle beginning Jan. 1. The rule will also apply when transferring vehicle ownership.

Before this new rule, Minnesotans were required only to say they had insurance when registering a vehicle — but weren't required to provide any proof. Estimates have said 10 to 20 percent of Minnesota residents drive uninsured vehicles.

The full list: Minnesota laws taking effect Jan. 1

The state House of Representatives compiled a list of all the new laws taking effect at the beginning of 2016.