The facts on Utah’s medical marijuana program

UTAH (ABC4) – April 20, or April 20, for short, is a particularly busy day for medical marijuana dispensaries across the state.

Deseret Wellness, based in Provo, was beaten up with customers on April 20, a day known in the counterculture of many who use marijuana, both for medical needs and otherwise. For the occasion, the pharmacy, intended only for those who only have a medical cannabis card, decorated the pharmacy with green balloons and streamers.

After all, the Draper Lane location serves the largest population of cannabis cardholders in the state. According to the The latest monthly report was published by the Utah Department of Health for Medical CannabisUtah County has significantly more cardholders than any other county in Utah.

This may come as a surprise, given that Utah County, with cities like Orem, Vineyard, Pleasant Grove, and Provo, is considered a historically conservative hotbed in Beehive State.

How does that happen The Deseret Wellness staff have no idea.

“This is something we tried to find out about the pharmacy here, just to talk to each other. We’re not sure,” says Maren Costello, a Deseret Wellness pharmacy technician. “But we like it very much and we’re trying to reach all of these patients.”

Where are the marijuana users in Utah?

There are currently 23,089 active patient cardholders with access to medical marijuana in the state, according to the Utah Department of Health’s report on medical cannabis. What leaps out is the county breakdown, with Utah County listed with 10,105 cardholders or 43.7% of all patients in the state. Salt Lake County is seeing a significant drop with just 6,321 cardholders, representing 27.5% of the Utah patient population.

However, that doesn’t mean that more people use marijuana in Utah County than in Salt Lake County. This could mean more people south of the mountaintop are going through the process of obtaining legal approval than people in Salt Lake County.

At least that’s the health ministry’s best guess.

“It could simply be that people in Utah County are just choosing to enroll in the program more often and wanting to legally protect themselves. It’s only possible that those in Salt Lake County who don’t care too much about it, ”said Rich Oborn, director of the Department of Health for the Medical Cannabis Center.

The latest In 2019, nationwide surveys were conducted on marijuana use, regardless of how it was obtained and found that adults in Summit County and Salt Lake Counties had the highest 30-day usage rates in the state. Utah County’s rate of 2.6% was well below the state average of 6.1% who reported current marijuana use. Still, Utah County leads the way in terms of medical cannabis card patients.

Oborn says it’s easier than ever for people with qualified conditions to get a medical cannabis card. The program is still relatively new, started in March 2020 and is still developing. Options such as electronic payment and home delivery have made major contributions to the treatment of marijuana across the state. Oborn warns that cannabis doesn’t work for everyone, but for those qualified individuals it can help, the state wants to make it as easy as possible to obtain a safe product.

“I know some people who, unfortunately, have relied on the black market for years and that is not certain. And they always run the risk of buying a product that could do them more harm than harm, ”Oborn told ABC4. “This is an important concern that we have in the Ministry of Health. So we look forward to better access for patients in rural Utah and other areas of Utah. In this way, they can increase the likelihood of entering the legal market and buying products that have been tested for contaminants. “

How to get medical cannabis in Utah

Getting a medical cannabis card is relatively easy in Utah. Potential patients must have a qualified medical condition. These include chronic pain, cancer, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Then a patient must meet with a licensed medical provider who is enrolled in the state cannabis program and pay the state application fee of $ 15. Finding a provider has also become much easier, as the state now has over 600 licensed providers in its program.

To increase the availability of medical marijuana and encourage patients to use a licensed pharmacy instead of searching for weeds on the street, Oborn says six more pharmacies will open in locations across the state over the next month.

Benefits of Using the Utah Medical Cannabis Program

For those with qualified conditions, getting to a nearby pharmacy and not having to drive out of the state or buy drugs on the street, both of which are illegal, will be an important resource in the future. According to Oborn, safety and service are paramount for the program.

“There are specific tests that products going through the Utah program must go through. You also have the advantage of taking advice from a licensed pharmacist and provider who can advise you as you would in a normal retail pharmacy, ”says Oborn. “They are experts for the products. They can give you information about dosage, how much to take and how to properly use a steamer, and what to watch out for and monitor when using medicinal cannabis as a medicine. It’s something you can’t get on the black market. “