Accessibility of Product in Utah Dispensaries
Utah’s medical cannabis program is just over two years old, with the first dispensary opening on March 1, 2020. When the program kicked off, there was an expectation of 14 dispensaries around the state. Only one, Dragonfly, was open for the first months of the program in 2020.
This was a significant problem, and the caveat to fix this, patients were allowed to have an affirmative defense letter from their doctor and purchase product outside of the state. Then in Dec. 2020, we saw the close of the provision.
The requirements on patients to purchase their medicine in the state added a heavy burden.
“Even when I was operating inside state law, I often had to drive out of state to get flower anyway. I have mast cell activation syndrome, so I'm sensitive to cartridges and edibles and can't rely on them if they're all that's available,” said Jess, a Utah resident and patient.
Many patients have visited dispensaries that were lean on supply. Bijian Sakaki, co-owner of Salt Lake City dispensary, Beehive Farmacy, has heard the complaints.
“Fortunately, we have never run out of products completely but have gotten very low in specific product categories [such as Flower],” said Sakaki. “The products that typically go out of stock first are Flower [priced $35, and $45 primarily] and then specific vaporizer cartridges... but with production increasing, we hope to mitigate any out of stock issues. I truly believe that there will be a consistent and stable supply chain by Q1 of 2022, and pharmacies will not be struggling to keep their shelves stocked.”
The Utah Department of Health saw more cardholders than anticipated in 2020. They projected 11,000 -16,000 would enroll. As of Dec. 31, 2020, 19,269 patients were accessing medical cannabis. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported that 12,490 pounds (199,840oz) were harvested. The report noted that this total included stems and leaves.
There have been complaints of shortages from patient consumers all across the state.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. Under Utah law, patients are allowed 4oz. (112g) of cured cannabis flower and 20g of THC in 30 days. There 23,089 patients enrolled in the state program.
Taking a conservative approach on consumption (half the flower, 2oz (56g) per month) and only using cured flower purchases, The state would need to produce 34,176lbs per year to serve the patients currently enrolled.
Patient number x ½ the maxim allowance per month x 12 months = lbs need to grow
23,089 patients enrolled x 56g (half of the flower allowance by law) x 12
(15,515,808g per month converts to lbs) = 34,176lbs a year
Clearly, the company’s here are not producing nearly the quantity to cover just half of the patient flower allotment allowed by law. We haven’t even addressed the 20g of THC concentrate allowed and the three times amount of biomass required to make those products.
The projection for patient enrollment is now expected to be close to 40 thousand by the end of 2021.
Just this past session under SB192, a 15th license is being allowed; that location is intended to service the rural counties in central and southeastern Utah. To date, only eight have opened to serve the community. No dispensaries are open south of Provo currently, leaving a considerable amount of the state severally underserved.
“I do have a medical card, but I have to drive a minimum of two hours to the closest Utah dispensary now that the laws have changed,” said Kelly, a frustrated Utah patient. “I used to hold the medical letter that would allow me to drive 30 minutes over to Dinosaur, Colorado, and obtain my medication. So, I feel EXTREMELY limited.”
Sakaki believes that as more pharmacies open their doors, that cannabis production will start to increase to keep up with patient demand.
“If all eight cultivators were increasing their canopy with the increasing patient count, there would be more than enough for the 24k patients [and growing 2k per month] between all the pharmacies across the state.”
Regarding the patient-friendliness of the state’s program, Sakaki stated, “the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture have done a great job standing up the program to a healthy 24,000 patients after year one. I think that is a telling sign that it is patient-friendly. However, it would be beneficial for Legislators to include industry's input when laws are being passed -- which impacts all operators and ultimately all patients.”
I don’t know if I agree with his view that this a “patient-friendly” program. I think this is the only legal option for many. People are trying to follow the law the best they can, and the registered number of patients reflects that. Far too many find the state program cumbersome, supply limiting with some severe drawbacks for accessibility.
With so much time, money, and effort put into this issue, one would hope a smoother run program would be operational.