Inaccessibility of Cannabis
by MEGAN NEFF
Utah Cannabis patients across the state face a new restriction on transporting their medical cannabis across state lines, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. The ability to cross state lines for medical cannabis has now lost its legal integrity due to state lawmakers.
The Utah cannabis program was established in 2018 and has seen road bumps along the way and scrutiny from lawmakers and patients.
At the beginning of 2020, The Utah Department of Health selected a handful of companies to operate medical cannabis. The licenses are divided into two groups, cultivation, and retail, they use different operating dates. But the pandemic delayed operations leaving Utah lawmakers’ assumption for cannabis sales and distribution to be much higher than it is. Owing to this notion, cannabis patients can no longer bring back medical marijuana from other states, making many feel restricted.
The different types of medical cannabis dispensed like gummies and raw flower are usually out of stock at local pharmacies, making it easier to find their supplies across state borders.
Patients often see better prices and quality of cannabis out of the beehive state, leaving problems to stem from consumers and growers, and pharmacies. A recent survey completed by The Utah Department of Health stated that 91% of patients felt that using cannabis was the best option for their conditions.
Advocates are working tirelessly to give medical marijuana patients easier access, but with this legal catalyst, a division is occurring.
The Salt Lake Tribune shared that 60% of medical cannabis patients seek their medicine through out-of-state or traditional resources within the same survey. Also, 55% of survey takers reported that using medical cannabis has decreased other controlled medications such as Adderall, Oxycodone, Gabapentin, and Clonazepam.
Patients who regularly treat their conditions with medical cannabis source their product through either local Utah or out-of-state dispensaries. There is increasing fear of ambiguity, that without access to affordable and quality medical cannabis, patients will become more dependent on controlled substances to manage their conditions.
With the murky waters of legality being against medical cannabis, it is far more difficult for users to get affordable and quality cannabis treatments. This leaves pharmacies struggling to reach their sales, withstanding a vicious cycle of sales and demand.
Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers is an avid advocate for a more efficient industry, hoping to clear up pharmacy issues throughout the state’s 2021 Utah Legislative session. With a target date of April 2021, seven cannabis pharmacies anticipate opening as concerns of their licenses being revoked loom overhead.
Salt Lake Tribune writer, Bethany Rodgers, reported that the CEO of WholesomeCo, Chris Jeffery, is working to make cannabis home delivery service more widely available to patients by July. Delivery may give patients, rural and urban, struggling to get their supplies from Utah pharmacies a chance to continue with their recommended remedies.