The state is looking for a doctor who can provide medical and research expertise for Minnesota's new medical marijuana program.

The job will pay $116,719 to $205,605 a year.

The state previously posted a job for the program's administrator, which attracted about 160 people by the June 20 application deadline. About 30 applicants met the minimum qualifications for the job, which pays $73,811 to $105,862, said Minnesota Health Department spokesman Michael Schommer.

The research manager, who will oversee the medical and science part of the program, will earn more than the administrator because the job requires a medical degree and a Minnesota physician's license.

The new office will have a staff of about 10 people, said Manny Munson-Regala, an assistant Health Department commissioner. An administrative assistant has been hired, and the application deadline for a policy analyst closed two weeks ago. A post for an operations manager will go up within the next two weeks, he said.

It's expected that about 5,000 Minnesotans with a range of maladies will have access to oil and liquid compounds of the cannabis plant starting in July 2015 under the medical marijuana program.

Mary Lynn Smith and Patrick Condon