ST. PAUL — Just two months after Minnesota launched its medical marijuana program, some patients turned off by high costs said they are back to buying the drug illegally because it’s the only way they can afford it.

State officials and the companies hired to make marijuana products trumpeted the program’s medical approach — pills and oils, no leaf products — when it launched in July. But some patients said the highly restricted and regulated system is costing them hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month— none of it covered by insurance.

Company executives defend their prices — a small vial of marijuana extract can run nearly $130 in Minnesota, more than double the cost of a similar product in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal and they’ve sold it medically for more than a decade — and say costs will fall over time. But they’re also taking steps to help some buyers, including raising money to cut the price for lower-income patients.

According to state data, nearly one in five of the 491 registered patients hadn’t returned to buy more medication in the last month, though state officials stress there are many possible explanations.

Patrick McClellan, who suffers crippling muscle spasms from muscular dystrophy, told The Associated Press that his monthly tab for oil for vaporizer pens — one of the legal state-sanctioned treatments — runs $264. He can get a month’s worth of marijuana buds on the street for $80, and mixes it in with as much of the state-approved medicine he can afford.