Kenyon Snow, a cannabis patient of Tim’s, shares his struggle with severe ulcerative colitis, and how he benefited from Medical Marijuana while traditional drugs were not effective.
Kenyon was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis in 2014. He was put on immunosuppressants, like Humira, and was okay for a couple of years. However, in 2016, he had a bad flare-up on his wedding day. He was put on steroids to control it. After returning from his honeymoon, he had another colonoscopy before being put on Remicade, another strong immunosuppressant.
In February of 2017, another colonoscopy and biopsy were done, returning a precancerous result. This led to Kenyon’s colon being removed in March 2017. In July of 2017, his rectum was also removed. He then had an ileostomy, requiring him to wear a bag from the small intestine. His stoma is not on his right side, as is usual, because when he had a revision done in 2018 which caused him to develop necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria. Two weeks after that surgery, they went in to cut away a large part of his abdomen and move his stoma to the left side of his body.
This year he had a hernia, right next to his stoma. It looked to have become strangulated, so Kenyon was put on Oxycodone for a month (which he hates and describes as a nightmare). However, because of Kenyon’s past history, along with COVID hitting, they decided to hold off on additional surgery until absolutely necessary.
There are different levels of ulcerative colitis. The steroid prescribed is usually Prednisone, 60mg a day, which has unfortunate side-effects like water-retention. People can also have bad psychoactive responses to these steroids. Kenyon confirms that he nearly broke up with his wife, his then fiancée, because the Prednisone gave him bad paranoia.
Humira is also used often, which is a drug you inject weekly. You have to keep it refrigerated and it’s very expensive, along with being painful to inject. Remicade, which must be specially approved, is a once-a-month IV infusion that patients must undergo.
The more serious surgery that Kenyon had is called a total abdominal colectomy and proctectomy. Any further surgery would have been problematic, as they would have been dealing with a so-called ‘hostile abdomen’ (ie. enormous amounts of scar tissue).
Kenyon’s brother-in-law in Arizona, where Medical Cannabis was already legal, got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and also had to have his colon removed. He found that cannabis was very effective for pain relief. On a visit to Arizona in March, just as everything was shutting down for COVID, Kenyon decided to try it as well. He got a vape pen, and for the first time since his diagnosis in 2014, was pain-free without opioids.
It was the first time he had ever used cannabis, and his wife was initially apprehensive about its usage. At the time, Tim was one of the only QMPs in Utah. Kenyon accessed Tim’s website from Arizona and set up an appointment.
Tim was just setting up his office, and with the COVID restrictions patients were being assisted carside. Most of the consultation would be done by phone, followed by payment being taken by credit card, in-person, by those wearing masks and gloves. People needed that face-to-face contact. Tim remembers clearly that Kenyon had no previous experience with cannabis at the time.
He first started using vape cartridges but now prefers flower, as he finds it most effective and the easiest way to gauge appropriate doses. He also can’t help but remember when people died of ‘popcorn lung’ as a result of counterfeit vape cartridges. He buys his flower from the pharmacies and only uses vape cartridges when flower is not readily available.
Once Zion Pharmaceuticals started releasing products, Kenyon started purchasing from them. He mostly uses a vaporizer and considers Zion the best flower he’s tried (particularly their Pink Starburst Petrol strain, which has a wonderful aroma).
Kenyon admits that talking to his wife about his medical cannabis usage wasn’t easy, as cannabis (even now) is still somewhat of a taboo subject. It was a difficult subject to raise, particularly because they both belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had the misconception, as many do, that the church was completely against cannabis use. Kenyon showed her in church doctrine where they’ve come out and said that as long as you have a Medical Card, there’s no problem with it. At this point she became more comfortable with the idea.
That’s when Kenyon started his Instagram account to try and educate people who had similar health issues that they could benefit from cannabis. He is trying to show them that it is a safe alternative to traditional medical drugs, especially when it comes to pain relief. Apart from a single daily antidepressant, Kenyon is now off of other strong traditional medications that he had been prescribed for years.
For the most part, close friends and family who knew his medical history and what he had been through, were understanding of his usage— particularly given that Kenyon had been so addicted to opioid painkillers that he was considering checking himself into rehab. Tim points out that opioids cause a lot of problems with constipation because they slow down the bowel function ‘to a crawl’ and can cause people to lose their appetite.
At work some people are still ambiguous about Kenyon’s Medical Cannabis use, and wonder if Medical Cannabis users are always ‘legit’. He thinks the biggest thing is to get rid of that stigma that is still attached to cannabis use so that people will just accept it as normal.
Obviously, inhaling takes effect a lot more quickly than ingesting, but then ingesting lasts a lot longer, so his use depends on what he needs. He’s got flower, vape cartridges, gummies, and tinctures. When he’s in a lot of pain, especially at nighttime, then he’ll take a gummy because he knows it’ll last all day and he’ll wake up feeling good.
Yes, he does so because every now and then to help with the nausea caused by his GI tract being messed up. He just got a new vape cartridge from Deseret Wellness (who recently opened in Provo) called Maui Wowie, made by Dragonfly. Hee highly recommends this cartridge for relieving nausea and leaving your mind clear.
Kenyon says that he started with low doses because he wanted to make sure that his body could tolerate it, and needed to determine how different dosages would affect him. His usage then increased from there. However, he now only uses medical cannabis when needed, which is a few times a week.
Whenever Kenyon tells people that he has a Medical Card for cannabis, one of the first questions they usually ask is, “what about recreational use”? Kenyon doesn’t see an issue with people who use cannabis recreationally. He thinks of it along the same lines as alcohol. When used responsibly, there is no harm, especially in Utah, where there is a narrow window of qualifying conditions (with some, like sleep disorders and irritable bowel syndrome, being removed from the list of qualifying conditions).
Tim points out that he understands no conditions will be added to this qualifying list in the immediate future. He believes it would take a big groundswell of public opinion to get any movement on that front.
He didn’t try anything that was “pharmaceutical” grade. He had tried some CBD oil just for trying to help with pain and sleep, but he didn’t notice a huge difference. It was also so expensive that it wasn’t really worth it. It was just better to stay on the sleeping medication he was on at the time.
Now that he has his Medical Card however, he’s able to buy CBD flower at the pharmacy. This CBD actually works really well for him. He likes to vaporize one part CBD to one part THC, and finds that effective for pain and anxiety without it affecting his clarity of mind.
His mom was apprehensive at first, having grown up in an era that viewed marijuana in a very negative light. Kenyon sent her articles that convinced her of Medical Cannabis’ legitimacy. But overall, his family has been super supportive – particularly having seen the huge change it’s made to his well-being. He can now fully participate in family events and enjoy life again.
Get in touch with Kenyon on his Instagram, @beehive.cannabis.culture
Tim is at UtahMarijuana.org if people need help getting their medical cannabis cards.
Chris is at the IAmSaltLake.com podcast.
People looking to apply for a Medical Marijuana Card don’t generally draw a distinction between CBD and THC. Once a card is issued however, the differences between the two become particularly important.
We encourage patients to talk with a Qualified Medical Provider (QMP) about the many types of Medical Marijuana products that are available to them. This should definitely include a discussion about the differences between CBD and THC. To that end, this post will address some of those differences (but should not be construed as medical advice). We encourage you to talk to your doctor in more detail.
Before getting to the differences, let’s talk about what CBD and THC share. For starters, CBD and THC are cannabinoids that you can find in the cannabis sativa plant. Not sure what a cannabinoid is? To keep it simple, cannabinoids are the chemicals in the cannabis plant that make it medically useful.
In fact, THC and CBD have really similar molecular structures. Both have 30 hydrogen atoms, 21 carbon atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms. The way the atoms are arranged determines how the brain reacts to THC and CBD. Knowing this is helpful to QMPs trying to figure out which Medical Cannabis products to recommend to their patients
Moving on to the differences, the most well-known and drastic difference between CBD and THC is the level of psychoactivity a patient might experience. While both are psychoactive, CBD typically doesn’t induce a “head high” or euphoric feeling. THC does.
One of the best things about marijuana, as a medical therapy, is that its effectiveness doesn’t necessarily require the head high. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most misunderstood aspects of Medical Cannabis. Recommending Medical Marijuana is all about making sure you get symptom relief – whether you use a THC or CBD product.
CBD and THC have different uses when it comes to medical treatment, a lot of which can be chalked up to the psychoactivity in the brain. CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is good for treating seizure disorders, inflammation, and pain. Many people have success using CBD to treat disorders like:
THC is also recommended for patients dealing with chronic pain. In addition, it’s recommended for:
These aren’t official medical recommendations. Ultimately, it’s up to patients and their QMPs to find their “just right” dose. If a patient tries a straight CBD product and it’s not working for them, their QMP may recommend a product with a bit more THC, depending on that patient’s tolerance, history, and condition. Always meet with a medical provider before administering Medical Cannabis for the best results.
Another interesting difference between CBD and THC are the side effects of each. These aren’t long term side effects, and if a patient is experiencing one of them, it’s important to note that each of these are temporary.
In terms of CBD, side effects include:
The most common side effects of THC are:
Though THC and CBD both come from the cannabis sativa plant, they affect the brain differently and treat conditions in a variety of different ways. The best way to find out which is right for you is to meet with a QMP with extensive cannabis training to come up with a treatment plan together. Our affiliated clinic, Utah Therapeutic Health Center, has over 20 QMPs to choose from and three locations across the valley. Reserve an appointment today, and comment below with any questions you may have. We’d love to help you feel better.
Wondering what else you need to know about getting a Medical Marijuana Card? Feel welcome to reach out to us or visit our clinics. We’re always excited to help!
Recorded live at Zion Cultivars’ cultivation facility in Payson, UT. We sat down with Shawn Hammond to find out about the flower they grow and what we can expect in the near future from Zion Cultivars.
One of their investors had an empty building in Payson that suited their requirements as it had been designed as a mint, so without windows. It is also located in an agricultural area, away from schools, churches, and public places. They got the building on January 31, 2020 as an empty shell with cement floors and open ceiling.
It is now a high-tech building (hence the spaceship) with lights and an HVAC system with environmental controls. It houses 288 plants per room. Their first harvest will be on December 23, which should produce about 50 pounds of flower. The plants grow amazingly fast, sometimes as much as two or three inches a day.
Visitors have to sign in as required by state regulations, and wear a Tyvek suit and sterile booties, as the facility is run like a clean room for pest and contaminant management. Visitors to the facility are limited and the small staff must wear scrubs, hairnets, and gloves. For this reason, they will not open to the public for tours, either. Their business is purely for growing quality medicine.
They grow two brands— Zion Cultivars, which is a genetic library they’re building from scratch which takes a long time, and a brand named Sugar House Selects which have really special genetics. Their current crop of Sugar House Selects, which is available at Beehive Farmacy, was still grown in their previous facility, Tent City, in Murray.
After harvesting, the flower goes to their dry room for a slow dry over two weeks, then is binned up and allowed to cure. They have to wait for state testing at this point, which happens when the crop has about a 12% moisture content. After the test results have been received, the crop can be moved to their processing facility to get hand-trimmed and packaged because it is a craft product.
After being tested again to ensure that the final product is satisfactory, it can be shipped out to the dispensaries. As there are only two testing facilities in Utah, this process is often slowed down considerably.
Shawn’s director of cultivation and his facility director have been growing and selecting cultivars out in California for years. In choosing brands for cultivation, they look for phenotypes that are ultra-special, that check all the boxes regarding flavor, potency, and the ability to translate smell to taste.
Sugar House Selects are their own genetic cultivars of special strains that are selected by their Director of Cultivation (except for Fatso, which was a gifted strain). The five flavors they recently delivered to Beehive are Ice Cream Cake, SinMints, Push Pop Cake, Cherry AK and Fatso.
Zion Cultivars will soon be following suit, putting out four flavors for the first time— and are in the process of testing now. They will soon be putting four different flavors into production for the first time, which include Candy Margy, Gelatti Biscotti, and Wedding Cake, and more.
They also have 23 additional flavors of seeds from Umami Seed Co, who are excellent breeders. Zion Cultivars will germinate and do pheno hunts during a testing phase for the exclusive Zion/Umami collab that they hope to begin production on in 2021. They have already developed a unique Sherbinski collab with Umami in the past.
There are different aspects to cultivation. One of the most important aspects is breeding, and the breeding of new flavors specifically. Fatso, for instance, is a cross of two popular cannabis strains, Legend OG and GMO, done by the breeder Cannarado, which created the new strain.
A pheno hunt will involve germinating seeds and then looking for the plants with the best terpene characteristics for potency, smell and flavor. The terpenes levels also influence both the physical and mental effects of the cannabis strain, rather like essential oils, while also increasing its medicinal effect. Their Sugar House Selects are loaded with aroma and flavor. They do not necessarily want high THC numbers, but they do want terpene-rich strains.
Once they find a good genetic line with high terpenes, they preserve it. They create a mother plant and clone it to keep that genetic line alive. This selection process is crucial to ensure that a strain has flavor, potency, morphology, yield and also ‘jar appeal’ – it has to look right.
This touches on adult use, which is okay, because shouldn’t patients have the best medicine available, and the best cannabis strains and delivery methods for whatever their purpose is? For this reason, dosing is so important for new patients, as it helps to educate them about finding the most effective utilization of their cannabis medication. They should be encouraged to experiment until they find the perfect strain for them.
Utah does not currently test for terpenes. However, Shawn thinks that this is very important, so they have third-party terpene tests done to put the information on their website. Knowing the terpene levels and other components in the different strains is often critical to patients, as it will enable them to choose strains and products that best fit their medicinal needs.
Now that their facility is open, they want to create more interesting extract products, including live rosin, live resins, live resin cartridges, and real terpene cannabis sauce cartridges.
High-end concentrates, like a live rosin, are made without solvents and are mechanically processed. So as soon as a plant is harvested, it is flash-frozen, and then washed in an ice-water bath to mechanically remove all the trichomes.
These are caught in very fine mesh bags that go through a refining process. In effect, they are ‘squished’ under high pressure and a low heat, leaving you with purely terpenes and cannabinoids, with no solvents at all. They have good flavor, work quickly, and are convenient to use in vaporizers, like a Puffco, for instance.
Distillates are made by taking the plant through an extraction and distillation process where you’re actually removing and separating pretty much everything except the THC. Most cartridges on the market are distillate cartridges with a high-end distillate that has had terpenes re-introduced for flavoring. These are often not actual cannabis plant terpenes, but botanical terpenes that have been formulated to synthesize a particular flavor. So it’s not the same as keeping the plant intact.
Zion Cultivars is also setting up a hash lab in Murray to regularly produce the high-end concentrates that the market is looking for. Harvesting is an ongoing, two-weekly thing, so starting in January, they’ll have either Zion flower or Sugar House Selects flower released every week.
They also have a 90,000 square feet greenhouse facility north of Payson where they have just finalized a harvest that was mostly designed to create distillate, due to the huge shortage in the market right now. This facility is where they will replant.
In their two locations, combined, they have just under 90,000 plants. They also have approval for the expansion of their current ‘spaceship’ facility to about four to five times its current size.
They’re most excited about their Umami collection, building their genetic library, and getting a lot of different flavors to various dispensaries. They want to make their excellent quality product available to patients. They would like to reduce costs, but will not be able to recoup the millions of dollars they spent establishing their facilities anytime soon.
Testing is very expensive, as is the cost of being compliant. So cost-wise they are going to set both a craft line and a mid-base line that is more affordable. They will also not only sell in eighths, but quarters and half-ounces, to provide a better customer value.
They really intend to put a dent in the production gap next year. Shawn points out that cannabis is a challenging plant to grow. So while he would not object to home-growing, people will not be yielding the same quality.
It has been reported in the media that it is being proposed to allow all doctors across the state, whether they’re a QNP or not, to write 15 recommendations for medical cannabis for patients. It is also proposed that all names on the Electronic Verification System (EVS) be put into the controlled substances database, which more people have access to. This is worrying, as they fear it could lead to discrimination and infringe on people’s privacy.
The bill is being sponsored by Congressman Ray Ward from Bountiful. All three of these guys feel strongly that residents should contact the Congressman to express their concern about the proposed changes. This is the time of year that the bills get written, so it’s a good time to make your voice heard. It is also suggested that Congressman Ward be invited to participate in the podcast, to provide a platform for talking about the issue as a whole.
There are many patients who desperately need the life-changing benefits of Medical Cannabis, so this issue should be urgently addressed at the highest levels by lawmakers, as these laws affect the quality of life of an abundance of patients. Patients’ caps should be raised and diagnoses expanded, such as including sleep issues, for example.
Shawn points out that in many instances, patients on Medical Cannabis reach a point where they completely dispense with traditional drugs, including mental health medication, which is a glaring issue for many these days. Improving the mental health of Utah residents is one of the most significant benefits of Medical Cannabis. A level of fear and stigma still stand in the way of utilizing this fantastic medicine properly, so open conversations are needed to help address these concerns.
Shawn has an Instagram account, @ZionPharmer. He documents transparency and wants his patients to see everything that’s going on, including how their medicine is made. His products are currently available at local dispensaries. They hope to be more widely available next year, when they can start releasing products on a weekly basis, and are even having conversations about creating a Cannabis Cup for growers and cultivation teams to compete for the best strain in Utah.
Tim is available at UtahMarijuana.org. Look for his billboards that will be going up soon!
Chris is at IamSaltLake.com, where he just won best podcast in Utah for the fourth time.
Dawn is an attorney and cannabis advocate. She worked as a prosecutor for 12 years, first at the City Prosecutor’s Office and then for six years in the DA’s office. During this time, her mindset started changing about marijuana as she became aware of its positive aspects and the complexities surrounding it.
After she left the DA’s office, she found a certificate program about cannabis legislation at McGeorge School of Law in San Francisco, California. California has been a trailblazer as regards cannabis case law. She started taking these online classes that covered several different areas, including its history and how it progressed from being an herb that was accepted by society to one that was prohibited. The course also included banking, business, constitutional issues, property issues, and marketing in relation to cannabis.
The more Dawn dove into the ethics surrounding the cannabis industry, the more she realized that people need help with it, particularly legal help (although there are some states that prohibit lawyers from doing so).
Although Utah has not stated a specific legal opinion on representation for the cannabis industry, Dawn feels that the Utah Bar Association would take a pro opinion on the matter, as the Utah Bar actually does have a cannabis law section with 10 or 11 attorneys on a regular basis. In fact, Dawn believes that cannabis law is becoming more mainstream in the legal world, with greater general acceptance that people in the cannabis industry should be entitled to legal counsel, just like those in other industries or fields of business.
Dawn’s legal cannabis certification entailed about six months and more than 200 hours of instruction. It involved watching videos, reading, and studying case law [mostly from California, but also other states] to see how the law is enacted in different states, which can differ greatly across the country.
Her law school is really good about updating people on impending changes in legislation. There are research services that allow attorneys to set an alert to be notified whenever legal changes affecting the marijuana industry are enacted. There are also several websites now dedicated to mapping out the relevant laws in the different states.
One book about marijuana law, written by one of the professors at McGeorge School of Law, may be particularly helpful.
She started Utah Cannabis Advocates, which is particularly geared towards helping cannabis businesses and growers to negotiate the daunting complexities of cannabis law, as regards regulations, contracts, commercial contracts, and leases.
She doesn’t do a lot of criminal law, but will take on those cases as well if she feels they present some unique challenges that can have an impact. She points out that there are several excellent defense lawyers in Utah to help legal cannabis patients who are still, bizarrely, experiencing legal harassment.
Dawn admits that when she was a prosecutor, she did lump cannabis in with all the other drugs. However, as she was more exposed to it, she started realizing that it does have a purpose and true value. Taking legal classes reinforced this thinking, and helped her realize that medical cannabis, in the form of Marinol, has actually been on the market a long time.
Dawn realized that more research was needed to deschedule cannabis, which can happen in two ways. The Department of Human Health and Services have to be convinced that cannabis has value and a medicinal purpose, and the legislature has to vote to change its legal status. It is upsetting, however, that the government does not allow sufficient research to be done to provide empirical proof that can achieve these objectives.
Can this situation be overcome?
Dawn thinks it’s very promising that five states, including South Dakota, New Jersey, Montana, and Arizona, legalized cannabis seemingly overnight. This may contribute greatly towards changing the mindset of other states, as there are now Senators and Representatives who view cannabis as something that has value, medicinally. This should create a positive effect on legislation, particularly with an ever-increasing amount of data being collected over time.
She feels that interstate commerce will inevitably start having an impact as well. Banking issues and issues of security (current banking regulations are in effect that force cannabis-related businesses to work on a cash basis) are also going to force legislators to pass more sensible legislation. Smaller banks and credit unions, those that are not federally insured, are already starting to provide banking services to these cannabis-related businesses.
One thing that could help overcome this banking problem is if cannabis businesses got together and started their own bank. Dawn feels that as the cannabis industry matures and practical issues are sorted out, this will become a much more realistic option. Dawn does not think that decriminalization of cannabis would help the banking situation at this stage, as banks’ federal insurance is the real issue currently.
Dawn thinks that it will, because the checks and balances and quality control that regulation brings to controlled substances make people feel safer. This would definitely apply to cannabis which can have negative effects, like any drug, if not used properly.
Dawn believes that sticking to our current track will do wonders for medical providers who want to be viewed as properly licensed providers of cannabis products. Using current seed-to-sale procedures, monitoring, following regulations, and showing people that the medical cannabis industry is safe and being conducted responsibly, will contribute to this goal.
Education and providing people the facts to make their own informed decisions are crucial to breaking down entrenched and outdated mindsets that assume marijuana is ‘bad’. Fortunately, younger people are growing up with a different mindset that accepts that Medical Cannabis has a legitimate purpose, much like prescription drugs.
Unfortunately, just as it happens with prescription drugs like opioids, there will be people who abuse Medical Marijuana. Again, education is the key, and with people generally being more informed about healthy choices these days, the outlook is more positive.
Dawn has a personal mantra – educate, elevate, and advocate. Educating her clients is important for building protection into their commercial contracts. By elevate, Dawn means not only convincing someone that they are capable of running a successful cannabis business, but also being there if those owners run into legal issues in the future. She also hopes to advocate by lobbying Congressmen and Senators about upcoming issues, allowing them to address Medical Cannabis issues for their constituencies.
The fact that cannabis businesses do not have access to proper banking services is a huge issue that should be addressed immediately. Dawn is also strongly against cannabis businesses not being allowed to file for bankruptcy. Likewise, the taxation that they are subject to is unfair as they are heavily taxed and yet do not qualify for any tax deductions (eg. running costs) like other businesses do.
Dawn thinks that part of the solution might lie in descheduling and allowing individual states to make their own, better regulations that are applicable to their specific regions and jurisdictions.
But there is still a massive amount of pioneering work to be done around educating more attorneys, police officers, prosecutors and judges about the benefits of Medical Marijuana. In fact, it almost amounts to deprogramming them from their previous mindsets. Research and ensuring everyone follows the rules is crucial, as decriminalization and legalization (which are not the same thing and major topics on their own), can play huge roles.
People don’t realize that the cannabis industry has a lot to offer in terms of jobs and opportunities. The labor-intensive nature of the multi-million dollar cannabis industry means that many businesses will need to continue hiring new workers, which in turn gives work to a greater number of citizens. Groundbreaking research work is happening as well, with new strains being discovered and new patents being registered all the time (including developments in the growing, transportation, manufacturing and extraction processes).
Dawn has an office in South Jordan, but drives all over. You can contact her through her Facebook page, Utah Cannabis Advocates, or her instagram page @utgreenadvocates. She can also be reached by phone at (801) 750-8320. Her kids suggested that she has a marijuana hotline, so hopefully that will be coming soon!
Dawn stresses to business owners the need to be proactive. You need to have a good business plan, find out where the pitfalls are, and seek legal counsel early to abide by all the regulations. Seek out ways to market your business and establish marketing relationships by attending events, approaching people, and asking lots of questions!
Tim is at utahmarijauna.org. A new video about the science of cannabis and how it helps people medically is out now on the Discover Marijuana Youtube channel, with Tim and Blake. Chris can be found on IAmSaltLake.com.
In this podcast, Mike Rodriguez at Premium Hemp Growers talks about his techniques to grow hemp in his greenhouses. He discusses the legal aspects of growing hemp and the state laws governing it. He also speaks about the various smoking habits of people and how people prefer smoking hemp flowers over cannabis. Mike even touches upon CBD’s medicinal aspects and how growing hemp can prove to be very profitable.
Mike shares that you must get a permit to grow any type of cannabis plant. You should also keep in mind that it’s not easy to grow on a large scale. The temperature and humidity need to be accurate. Mike says his greenhouse has around 30 windows that house almost 8,000-8,400 plants. These windows help in the optimal growth of the plants, mainly during the harvesting period.
Mike discusses how ingesting cannabis involves processing the cannabinoids through your liver, this usually takes about 30 minutes or even longer for the effects of the medicine to kick in. But when smoked, the lungs usually help absorb the cannabinoids instantaneously into the bloodstream, giving immediate results. This is the main reason why most people prefer smoking rather than consuming it. The same thing goes for CBD and CBG. Smoking the flower even has some benefits without many issues. However, currently selling the smokable flower is not allowed despite having a THC level well under state regulations.
The reason for this massive gap in the market is that the state does not allow for a broad spectrum plant to be vaporized. In addition, the state has already established that there is no reason to use a flame to smoke the flower because there are no medical benefits associated with flames. The state feels that a good alternative is CBG, which is good for pain, it’s an anti-inflammatory, and has been known to help with depression.
Mike says he sees the medicinal value of CBD & CBG and the potential of how the flower product can be grown and harvested at scale for its immense medical benefit. He says the process of growing hemp or cannabis in greenhouses, the way he does, is a cumbersome process. Each plant must be looked after and cared for meticulously, but in the end it’s worth it.
Mike knows some people prefer rolling one or two joints of cannabis after struggling through a tough day. However, others (such as people who are going to work or running errands) want the medicinal benefits without the psychoactive effects. This latter group often questions the reason for smoking hemp flowers when they receive no recreational value from it.
Mike continues by saying THC levels in CBD must remain consistently lower than that of flower, so as to not ruin the crop. On the flip side, the flower market is always wanting the highest concentration of THC as possible, which allows Utah growers free reign to push the limits of how much their plants can contain.
Mike shares that a “Cannabis University” of sorts does exist. Oaksterdam University has in-person and online learning where people can learn the art of growing hemp. There are also various grow schools in the country where people can quickly learn to grow hemp.
Mike says, before the USDA hemp bills were passed a year and a half ago or so, it was not a field that one could easily get involved with. The hemp bills opened the door for people who didn’t know how to grow cannabis, but were passionate about hemp, CBD, or CBG to more easily obtain a license to grow and take advantage of a wide range of equipment being sold for an easy setup.
Mike says there are obvious downsides of growing cannabis on large scales; for instance, if you do not pay enough attention, your entire crop could get infected by spider mites, caterpillars, aphids; eating up to as much as two-thirds of your crop. Spider mites or caterpillars are particularly common problems. Also, if the irrigation wasn’t done just right, the yield stands to be ruined completely. One needs to keep at mind that problems which may be more than manageable at a smaller scale, are greatly multiplied as your scale increases.
According to Mike, it is quite challenging to trace caterpillars on vast lands. You will not even notice them as you walk through the same field daily, and before you know it they would have finished off more than half of your produce. The best way to mitigate them is to check your leaves regularly. If you find bite marks, it means that caterpillars are likely feeding on your harvest.
Mike says there is a great opportunity to profit from growing hemp in a legal way (depending on what the state allows you to grow and sell). He also adds that in his experience anyone who may choose to go the other way by growing illegally, thinking that may be able to make more profits down the path, are being terribly short-sighted and the costs of doing so will always be lower than the benefits received. He absolutely recommends growing legally and sees huge potential in doing so. Mike recognizes the clear monetary value of growing and selling legally.
“Discover Marijuana” is an educational series in collaboration with Zion Medicinal. The series will be released on November 21st, 2020 on YouTube (out now!). The videos from the series will be focused on the “science meets the medicine” aspect of the marijuana plant and will be educational in nature, with Tim Pickett and Blake Smith (Chief Science Officer, Zion Medicinal). The series will look to cover some of the more frequently asked questions around the plant and its medicinal aspects.
Mike can be reached through his website, Premium Hemp Growers, or through the company’s Instagram page.
Tim can be reached here at utahmarijuana.org where we just launched a new chat feature and they have people standing by during the day to answer any questions.
Chris can be found on his I am Salt Lake podcast website where you can hear about local foodie people and the impact of COVID on local eateries.
healthA question we hear a lot from patients is whether or not health insurance will pay for a Medical Marijuana consultation. People want to know if their insurance will cover a visit to our clinic. In short, probably not. There are exceptions to the rule, but the vast majority of health insurance plans do not cover marijuana products or the visits required to obtain a Medical Marijuana Card.
Things will hopefully change in the future. We’ve heard rumors suggesting that some state legislatures will begin requiring insurance companies to cover certain Medical Marijuana related services. That would be awesome. And of course, Congress could decriminalize marijuana in 2021. But for now, Medical Marijuan Cards being covered by health insurance is off the table.
The difficulty with health insurance is liability. Marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law. Health insurance companies have to walk that fine line between recognizing Medical Marijuana as legit and not creating problems with federal law. They are in the same position as banks. Even though most states and the District of Columbia recognize genuine medical reasons for using cannabis, insurance companies don’t want to risk the liability that comes with the Medical Marijuana territory.
Medical Cannabis could be decriminalized by Congress sometime in 2021. If so, there still is no guarantee health insurance companies will race to cover MMJ or clinical services. Insurance executives still debate whether or not Medical Marijuana is a good alternative to other drugs and therapies. It might take a while to convince them.
Here in Utah, clinicians must be approved by the state to recommend the use of Medical Cannabis. In other words, you have to meet with an approved clinician, or Qualified Medical Provider (QMP), who can determine whether or not you would benefit from Medical Cannabis. Getting the okay means you can go ahead and apply for a Medical Cannabis Card.
Each state handles this in its own way. The one thing they all have in common is this: QMPs and dispensaries have to decide for themselves how they want to accept payment. Most don’t even try to go down the health insurance path. They require patients to pay with either cash or credit card.
Even if a QMP wanted to accept health insurance for a Medical Cannabis consultation, the consultation could not be primarily about using marijuana. It would have to be about something else that could be billed more easily. This creates problems.
Billing a consultation under an allowable category but still using the consultation to speak primarily about Medical Cannabis carries the risk of a QMP being dropped from the applicable insurance plan – in the event the insurance company found out about it. Doctors, physician assistants, etc. don’t want to take the risk any more than insurance companies want the liability of covering Medical Marijuana.
The Medical Cannabis environment, in Utah and elsewhere, is not ideal right now. But it’s a lot better than where we were a decade ago. At least we’re now in the position of Medical Marijuana being recognized from coast to coast. Even though Washington still isn’t on board, the states are. It’s a good start.
More important is the fact that changes are coming. The evidence is all around us. It’s only a matter of time before marijuana is completely decriminalized at the federal level. Between now and then, Washington might take the step of recognizing Medical Marijuana as legitimate. When they eventually do, our industry can begin working with the insurance industry to cover consultations and Medical Marijuana products.
See our page on getting a Medical Marijuana card, to learn more about what you can expect with one. Also, feel welcome to reach out to us or visit one of our clinic locations. We’re always excited to help!
States and U.S. territories are gradually giving approval to the use of Medical Cannabis. So it was only a matter of time before we started seeing legal issues related to employment drug screening. Such issues are now rearing their heads all across the country. The result is that drug screening laws are evolving, too.
It turns out that drug screening is mandatory in some industries and for certain types of jobs. It is voluntary for others. Either way, there are a certain group of employees who know they are subject to random drug screening as part of their jobs. Others just applying for jobs realize they may have to undergo a drug test before being offered a position.
So where do we stand with the law? It’s a mixed bag. But again, federal and state laws are evolving. Maybe someday we will have uniform law in every state.
The first thing that comes to mind is employment regulated at the federal level. There are certain industries that are subject to federal laws first, then state laws second. Interstate trucking is one of them. Our Constitution gives the federal government the authority to regulate all interstate commerce. This includes carrying goods across state lines on tractor-trailers.
As federally regulated employees, truck drivers are required to undergo regular drug testing – including testing for marijuana. Any trucker who fails a drug test can lose his or her license. No license, no job. While this is consistent with DOT rules, maybe there is a way to distinguish between unimpaired and impaired driving so that truckers don’t have to choose between work and their health.
The good news for workers is that most employment is not federally regulated. In such cases, it’s up to the states to decide what they want to do about drug testing. And in states where Medical Cannabis is legal, like Utah, the collective voice of the people matters. We can, and should, let our legislators know how we feel about mandatory drug screening at work.
Just remember that employers in nearly every industry have the legal right to require workers to take drug tests. Employers have a legal right to maintain a drug- and alcohol-free workplace. They also have an ethical responsibility and the right to limit their own liability. Somewhere in all this is a way to balance the needs and rights of both employers and employees.
Whether you’re talking regulated or non-regulated employment, the problem with drug testing is that it doesn’t offer an accurate picture of marijuana use. Unlike alcohol, which the body manages to flush completely in a matter of hours, marijuana leaves a trace behind for weeks. That’s due to THC.
THC can remain in a person’s blood stream for a very long time. A positive test showing the presence of THC would indicate that the person had used marijuana within the last couple of weeks. But that’s it. We don’t have tests capable of telling us the concentration of THC in a person’s blood. There is no reliable way to test if a Medical Marijuana user is currently high.
States have recognized the problem and are working on legislative fixes. In the meantime, there is no way for us to say for certain whether or not Medical Marijuana use could affect your job. We recommend speaking with your employer about it. See what the official company policy is and then go from there. Until legislators provide some clarity, employment drug screening will be an issue.
Have a question about Medical Marijuana or getting a card? Feel welcome to reach out to us or visit one of our clinic locations. We’re always excited to help!
You’ve heard it all year, I’m sure. “Get your card before it’s too late!” “Your letter expires in 2021!” “Beat the rush, register for your card before the end of the year!” Maybe you’ve heard this so often, you’ve become a little numb to it all. Or maybe you’ve thought, “Oh, I need to do that” but the holidays pushed this thought out of your mind. Don’t worry, you’ve still got time! But not much. We want you to stay legal, safe, and healthy. A couple of things change with the Utah Medical Cannabis program in January, so listen up.
Back in March when the Utah Medical Cannabis program launched, very few people in the state — I promise, that’s no exaggeration — 
understood how to apply for the card. Not only that, but the UDOH Medical Cannabis department had very few employees able to assist. So we had all these patients who had paid for their visits, expecting to buy cannabis, that got turned away at pharmacies because there wasn’t a way to verify their legal patient status. The state decided to put recommendation letters into play while they ironed out some of the kinks in the program. Because of this, patients could use one pharmacy with a signed letter from their provider. This was a big win for patients who desperately needed this treatment.
Since then, the Utah Medical Cannabis program grew larger than anyone expected, and we needed better verification methods. Come 2021, patient recommendation letters and affirmative defense letters will be old news. It’ll simply be a super sweet brag you can drop at parties — “I joined the program back when we had letters.”
Because you won’t get a letter, you can’t head directly to a pharmacy after your new patient appointment anymore. Instead, you’ll need to wait for your official state-issued Medical Cannabis Card to be approved and sent to you by the state before you can pick up your medicine. To make this process quick and painless for patients, our affiliated clinic, Utah Therapeutic Health Center, will shift their appointment flow to include EVS registration on site. This means that when you walk out of the office, you’ll have finished your state card application. That’ll get your card in your hands faster (usually 2-5 days in our experience). You’ll also have full access to their helpful patient experience team all along the way (for those of you that have attempted the EVS registration process alone, you probably already know how difficult and convoluted that can be without a little assistance). (Edit: Conditional Cards have since been introduced into the program to give patients access to their medicine while they wait for their Patient Medical Card. These are expected to launch Fall 2021.)
On the other hand, having your card right off the bat ensures full access to every Utah Medical Cannabis pharmacy and product in the 
state. After a while in the program, you start to find your favorite strains and products that work best for you. If your local pharmacy doesn’t carry it, you can head right on over to the next closest one with no hassle.
You’ll also have the option to skip the first-time visit with the pharmacist on staff at your Utah Medical Cannabis pharmacy. Because you’ll have an active EVS profile by the time you arrive, they’ll be able to see your QMP’s notes about dosing, recommended delivery method, etc. This makes it easier to simply “fill that prescription” for you. Having said that, please continue to chat with them if you see them! Medical Cannabis pharmacists and budtenders (or wellness associates, dispensary workers, whatever you’d like to call them) are very friendly and knowledgeable about the products they carry, and they’re always happy to help patients and answer their questions.
Finally, if you haven’t already, you’ll need to correct the way that you obtain your cannabis. Up to this point, recommendation letters and cards protected patients who possessed cannabis purchased in another state. By January 1, 2021, even with a legal Utah Medical Cannabis Card, you’ll need to purchase all your cannabis in Utah for you to really stay on the legal side of it. (Edit: this deadline has since been extended to June 30, 2021.) Keep in mind that if you ever get in trouble legally because of your cannabis, it’ll be up to you to prove that you have followed the law in this way. Because of this, we recommend holding on to your packaging and receipts, just to be safe (that’s not official legal advice, just a tip from your friendly neighborhood cannabis experts).
That’s all I’ve got for you so far. The program changes and grows all the time, and we here at utahmarijuana.org do our best to keep you informed. You can find updates on our blog like this and on our Utah Medical Cannabis FAQ page, so make sure to check them regularly. If you need assistance getting your card — whether your letter wasn’t written by a true QMP, your QMP isn’t sure how to certify you, or really anything else — check out our letter-to-card program. Or, if you need to get the ball rolling on becoming a Medical Cannabis patient in the first place, give us a call at 801.851.5554 or schedule an appointment online. We can’t wait to help you feel better and stay legal.
In November 2018, Utah Proposition 2, the Medical Marijuana Initiative, was approved. But post-election, Proposition 2 underwent multiple amendments in special legislative sessions, leading to today’s Utah Medical Cannabis Law, which allows access to Medical Marijuana for those with certain qualifying health conditions. The current law has restrictions that are absent from the original Proposition 2 that the people of Utah approved in the 2018 election. Here’s a guide to the evolution of Proposition 2 and how it affects Medical Cannabis users today.
Proposition 2 appeared on the ballot for Utah’s general election in November 2018. Before that, the only option for medical use of any cannabis product had been the use of low-THC CBD oil for severe epilepsy, with a doctor’s recommendation, but patients could not legally get the oil in the state. In 2018, the state legislature passed a “right to try” bill that allowed terminally ill patients to use Medical Marijuana when other options had failed. Prior to Proposition 2, Utah law limited production and processing of cannabis only to state facilities, which could then make it available only to those patients with less than six months to live, or to a research institution.
In 2018, medical and recreational marijuana both remained illegal under federal law. But as a growing number of states began enacting provisions to make marijuana available for medical use (and in some cases, even for recreational use) under certain circumstances, a number of groups including the Utah Patients Coalition, worked to place a measure, called Proposition 2, on the ballot. This provision would expand the availability of Medical Cannabis to patients with certain, specified illnesses and authorize independent facilities licensed and regulated by the state to produce and sell it. Under Prop 2, the use of cannabis for medical purposes would be legally equivalent to the use of prescription opioid and opiate medications.
Proposition 2 faced stiff opposition from numerous groups including legislators, law enforcement organizations and churches, all of which claimed that the new bill would jeopardize the health and safety of the community, increase drug use and open the door to legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Proposition 2 passed with 52.75 percent of the vote. But almost immediately Governor Gary Herbert called for a special legislative session to amend the measure, and on December 3, 2018, the legislature passed a new version, called House Bill 3001, the Utah Medical Cannabis Law.
Immediately, pro-cannabis groups including The People’s Right filed lawsuits opposing the legislature’s pre-emptive move to replace Prop 2 with House Bill 3001. Months later, in September 2019, the Utah legislature convened another special session and unanimously passed yet another amended bill, Senate Bill 1002.
This bill removed provisions providing for state-run dispensaries, and allowed the state to issue licenses for private dispensaries. SB 1002 also allowed qualified users to obtain electronic Medical Marijuana cards, and mandated that Medical Marijuana must be equivalent to the legal use of any other prescribed medication that is a controlled substance. Under all versions of this legislation, access to Medical Cannabis is limited to certain qualifying conditions—but in the final version of the bill, the list of qualifying conditions was shortened considerably from the one proposed in the original Proposition 2.
Under all versions of the law, patients can get access to cannabis for medical purposes only if a physician certifies that they have a qualifying condition—and certification is at the doctor’s discretion. Now, the list of qualifying conditions under the current Utah Medical Cannabis Act includes:
Also included are terminal illnesses and conditions requiring hospice care, as well as very rare conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people.
The original Proposition 2 also included some autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis and arthritis, as well as chronic anxiety, glaucoma and sleep disorders. Although the current Utah Medical Cannabis Act no longer covers these conditions, the law allows patients with these or other non-qualifying conditions to petition the state’s Compassionate Use Board for a Medical Cannabis Card.
To get a Medical Marijuana Card in Utah, you’ll need to consult a medical provider who will certify that you have a qualifying condition and enter your information in the state’s Medical Marijuana user database. Then, visit the Utah Health Department website to complete the application and pay the fee. Your card may take up to two weeks to arrive. For more information, schedule an appointment with us today.
