What types of Medical Cannabis legal issues does J.D. see regularly? [02:28]
Utah state laws about guns and cannabis [04:59]
Can the federal government arrest Medical Marijuana Card holders? [09:34]
J.D.’s recommendations for dealing with police if you are pulled over [11:17]
More of J.D.’s thoughts on the chemical test administered for DUI arrests [14:16]
Is it legal to possess and use cannabis here regardless of where you got it from? [17:30]
What is the best way to store cannabis? [19:47]
J.D. thoughts on the provisions that prevent patients from using combustion when consuming Medical Marijuana [23:14]
How much Medical Marijuana can you possess? [27:51]
Can a patient buy Medical Marijuana products from another patient? [41:06]
How to get in touch with J.D. [47:09]
Christianson and Jensen website
@utcannabislaw on Twitter
J.D. Lauritzen is a lawyer with Christensen & Jensen. J.D. has seen an increase in B2B disputes with the cannabis industry, including class action lawsuits that are being filed against hemp and CBD companies for false advertising, legal actions, and lawsuits between growers and dispensaries, and other business litigation.
If a Medical Marijuana Card holder purchases a firearm from a licensed firearm dealer, they will be required to complete an ATF form. This form requires the purchaser to admit to using federally illegal drugs. Without federal legalization laws in place, this now presents a dilemma for firearm purchasers who have the legal right to use Medical Marijuana in Utah.
Utah legislators did write provisions into HB 3001 that prohibit state law enforcement from spending any resources on trying to enforce gun laws, federal or otherwise. However, federal law enforcement, such as ATF officials, could still arrest you for possession of a firearm.
Yes, technically a federal official can arrest you for possession, even with a Medical Marijuana Card. However, a federal law has been enacted that the government cannot spend federal resources against people abiding by the state law.
Recently, U.S. Attorney General William Barr has faced backlash for an increased number of cannabis-related investigations, which in J.D.’s opinion, underscores why the federal government needs to implement legalization of marijuana.
When pulled over by the police, the protections of the Fifth Amendment provides you with no obligation to speak to answer their questions. You are only required to provide your license and registration.
J.D. recommends that if you are pulled over by police, roll down your window to a point where you can safely hand your license and your registration through to the officer. Next, ask the officer their reason for pulling you over. If you are asked any other questions from law enforcement about what you have been doing, where you have been, where I’m going, you can refuse to answer those questions.
At some point in the encounter, you should ask whether you are being detained or whether you’re free to leave. If you’re free to leave, it is a consensual encounter and you can drive away.
If you are being detained, you can invoke your Fifth Amendment right and then you have nothing more to say without legal counsel present.
If you’re pulled over for a DUI, you do not have to consent to the field sobriety test. However, you do have to consent to a chemical test by getting a driver’s license in Utah.
J.D. sees problems with law enforcement using the alcohol model of impairment to test for cannabis impairment. Some states have a limit in the certain amount of nanograms that can be in your blood. However, cannabis affects people differently.
So the way the law is written currently, you can still get a DUI if you are intoxicated. However, that leaves it up to officer interpretation, because there is no standard amount deemed to be intoxicating.
For Medical Cannabis patients, the law has an exception that they can have just cannabis metabolites in their system.
J.D. is a proponent of making law enforcement do their job and not volunteering any information to them.
It is important that you always have your Medical Marijuana Card with you in case you do encounter a situation with law enforcement. Also, if you are driving with cannabis in the vehicle, be sure to keep it in a locked case.
It is federally illegal to transport marijuana across state lines. However, under the state law until the end of this year, you can possess cannabis regardless of where you acquired it.
If you do purchase marijuana in an illegal way, law enforcement can still arrest you during the transaction. However, once you’re in possession, state law enforcement will not arrest you.
Starting January 1, 2021, all marijuana purchases must be done in-state at approved dispensaries.
J.D. recommends that patients use a lockable container. You are looking to make it difficult for others to access your Medical Marijuana products, similar to how opioids are put in child-proof containers.
Smoking is the most recognized way of ingesting cannabis. Telling patients that they are no longer able to smoke marijuana creates a problem. For example, a patient may have a letter or card, but in their car they have a pipe with resin in it. They will still be subject to criminal charges. Because this rule is in place, it opens up legal Medical Marijuana card holders to prosecution.
Patients in Utah can possess up to 113 grams of unprocessed flower, up to 20 grams of total THC.
There’s no statute for this in the law, but the only people that are licensed to sell cannabis in Utah are the dispensaries.
You can call his office at (801)323-5000. You can also find him on the Christianson & Jensen website, on Twitter @utcannabislaw, or UTCannabisLaw.com.
Who is Katie Sly? [00:49]
Katie’s thoughts on the Utah Medical Marijuana experience for patients [05:41]
Will Medical Marijuana ever be covered by health insurance in Utah? [08:22]
How Tim sees his work evolving if Utah moves to legal recreational use [9:10]
More info about the use of open flames when consuming Medical Marijuana [10:45]
Katie’s thoughts on cannabis, Crohn’s disease, and hydration [25:02]
Results of Utah Therapeutic Health Center surveys [28:05]
Are patients noticing more benefits than they expected? [34:03]
What is the best way to consume cannabis for Crohn’s disease? [35:39]
A tip for reusing already vaporized herbs [40:26]
Tim’s education schedule [47:19]
Katie works at Utah Therapeutic Health Center and is the younger sister of Tim. Her primary role is to provide education and training to patients, including helping them with using the medicalcannabis.utah.gov/ site.
When Utah Therapeutic Health Center opened in March, there was an immediate demand for help in signing up for Medical Marijuana Cards. The first day, the team had a hundred missed calls. The Department of Health was not set up to provide Medical Cannabis to patients in a user-friendly way. Katie immediately joined the team to help with this demand.
Katie and Tim grew up in a conservative household. Her first experience with cannabis occurred in ninth grade.
As a sophomore, she went to a party where her and a friend consumed cannabis and alcohol. After getting caught, she was kicked off of her high school drill team.
In order to rejoin the drill team, she was told to no longer consume cannabis and to distance herself from her friend. She self describes as a “rule follower,” and complied with this.
Also during her sophomore year, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and had hundreds of kidney stones. To deal with the pain, a doctor prescribed her Lortab and told her to take it once per day.
She decided not to use the medication and, after visiting another doctor, had surgery to remove the kidney stones. This experience opened her eyes to the fact that opioids do not have to be the first choice for pain relief, and that there are often safer alternatives for treatment.
Many clinics are not set up to help their patients. Tim and Katie’s primary goal with Utah Therapeutic Health Center is to help the patients. Not just with handing out Medical Cannabis Cards, but ensuring that they stay connected with the patient.
The experience for patients to perform a 90-day renewal can be a frustrating one. Katie works to make this experience easier by helping patients adjust dosing, and making other recommendations for treatment.
The team has taken it upon themselves to be the primary educator for patients, which would typically be the state’s responsibility.
Tim has seen states, such as New York, begin to push insurance companies to cover the visits. Utah Therapeutic Health Center actually has a staff member who is credentialing for insurance to prepare for when Medical Marijuana would be covered by health insurance in Utah. He believes it will take a year or two before this occurs in Utah.
People have told time that if legalization occurs then they will be put out of business. However, Tim believes that Utah Therapeutic Health Center and UtahMarijuana.org will still be the experts that patients turn to for help. In fact, the majority of their patients are novice users, so there will still be a need for education and for expert help even if recreational use becomes legal.
When consuming Medical Marijuana in Utah, you are not allowed to consume using an open flame. Tim clarified this to say that combustion at a high temperature is the issue. For example, a car cigarette lighter does not have an open flame. However, it is the combustion at a high temperature that prevents patients from consuming Medical Marijuana with a joint or pipe.
For someone with Crohn’s disease, or any digestion disease, Katie says that the best side effect of smoking cannabis is being thirsty. Typically with digestion diseases, doctors will recommend that patients stay hydrated. Because Medical Marijuana could cause you to become thirsty, a benefit of this side effect could be to encourage you to stay hydrated. Also, if you have issues with nausea, Medical Marijuana could help prevent vomiting when drinking water.
Utah Therapeutic Health Center sends 90-day surveys to better understand their patients’ experience by asking questions, such as “what are you using” and “what is working?”
About 100 patients have completed the survey. They are currently going through the data to identify patterns. One pattern they found is that patients are seeing a decrease in anxiety and insomnia.
The goal of these surveys is to use the information to better educate patients and provide more effective treatments. Also, they can use this data to help push legislators for updates to laws and qualifying conditions.
The data is always HIPAA compliant and secure. None of this data will be shared with anybody else and no personal identifying information is associated with the data.
Tim and Katie have noticed that patients are seeing other benefits of cannabis use, including reduced anxiety and improved sleep.
Tim compared plant treatments vs. traditional treatment via pharmaceuticals. With traditional treatments, doctors focus on one symptom, one treatment. For example, a poorly-functioning thyroid is treated with thyroid medication. But, there is not a focus on treating the whole patient.
Plant medicines not only help treat the immediate symptoms, but also provide additional benefits to treat the patient holistically.
Vaping, either with vape cartridges or a dry herb vaporizer, is a great way to consume cannabis because it is fast acting. Oral delivery could work better in some cases because it acts directly on the gut, but effects are not as immediate.
Once herbs are vaporized, the cannabinoid CBN is released. Katie received a tip from a patient to take already vaporized herbs from a dry herb vaporizer and sprinkle it on peanut butter toast. Tim has also heard from patients that they will reuse already vaporized herbs and sprinkle it on foods or bake it and turn it into an oil.
Tim will be speaking on July 16th at a CBD shop in Kaysville. Tim will also do a lecture in August that will be recorded.
Who is Mindy Madeo? [00:07]
Is Mindy connected with other pharmacists in the area? [9:00]
Mindy’s thoughts on having a pharmacist in a dispensary [12:39]
Does Mindy believe pharmacists should have personal experience with cannabis? [17:08]
What is the Wholesome Co. pharmacy like? [18:18]
How do consultations with pharmacists work? [20:00]
Mindy’s thoughts about dosing [29:18]
Mindy’s cannabis education [31:40]
When will the Wholesome Co. pharmacy open? [41:56]
How Mindy sees cannabis as part of a whole health plan [42:41]
Mindy is the pharmacist for Wholesome Co. After her education at the University of Utah, she worked as a retail pharmacist.
As a retail pharmacist, she became disillusioned with pharmacy practice in general. She felt that a lot of patients were over prescribed medications. The healthcare industry was only focused on treating symptoms and diseases with medication, and not looking at the whole patient.
She witnessed the progression of the current opioid epidemic and found it heartening to see patients prescribed massive doses of pain medications and watch their quality of life go down.
Mindy actually considered retirement about three years ago. However, in 2018 when Proposition 2 passed, she saw an opportunity to be involved with plant and herbal medicines.
She did everything she could to educate herself, including reading books, listening to podcasts, etc.
Wholesome Co. then reached out to her on LinkedIn to join their team. They connected early in the process, before they got their cultivation or their pharmacy license. Mindy felt they both have similar ideals about health and treatment.
Mindy is forming a group of pharmacists called Utah Cannabis Pharmacist Association. This group will be under the umbrella of the Utah Cannabis Association.
Pharmacists in the area have visited each other’s pharmacies and sat in on consultations. Also, because cannabis pharmacists are a new role, it is important for everyone in this role to work together and define what the role means.
Mindy believes there is definitely a need for a pharmacist. Pharmacists have a background in pharmacokinetics, diseases, state management, etc. For every medication that exists, pharmacists are educated on the disease that it treats, the mechanism of the disease, and how it is diagnosed. As a result, pharmacists have a large, broad knowledge base that can be valuable for patients.
Most pharmacists aren’t educated with cannabis. However, Mindy believes they can get educated on cannabis fairly quickly.
Mindy does not believe you need to have personal experience. It could be helpful, especially if you understand different strains. However, just as pharmacists do not need to have personal experience with blood pressure medication to properly prescribe it, a pharmacist does not have to consume cannabis.
It is next to Costco in Bountiful. They are still building the location. The location will have a large pharmacy and waiting area. Also, there will be consultation rooms for patients to talk to Mindy.
After patients receive their card, they will come to the Wholesome Co. pharmacy and have a consultation with Mindy.
Mindy has a list of questions she asks clients to better understand their conditions, experience with cannabis, and recommendations from their QMP. She also asks questions to learn more about their pain, including how severe the pain is, times of the day when pain is worse, and if any treatments have made the pain better.
To help prevent negative drug interactions with cannabis, Mindy will also review current medications the patient is using.
Mindy believes that a pharmacist shouldn’t dose a patient. The patient is dosing themselves. As pharmacists and medical providers, they are helping a patient determine the lowest dose needed to create an effect. The patient is the one who is in control of this, with the pharmacists and medical providers giving them the tools they need to learn to dose themselves.
When Mindy decided to get involved with the Medical Marijuana industry, she began looking for a good online education. She settled on a master’s degree program in Cannabis, Science, and Therapeutics at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Mindy is hoping to be able to open on July 17th.
Mindy believes that, along with using cannabis to treat medical conditions, health professionals should also encourage a healthy lifestyle. She tells patients that it is wise to use cannabis, but to also exercise, practice meditation or journaling, and socialize with friends.
She also says that there isn’t a distinction between a recreational user and a medical user — both are using cannabis to be a healthier person. Even if you are that recreational user consuming cannabis to loosen up at a party, you are using it to relieve anxiety instead of a traditional anxiety medication.
Who is Derek Anderson? [00:34]
The history of cannabis in America [11:46]
Derek was born in Idaho, spent time on the west coast, then moved to Utah after high school. He has a background in technology and IT.
He was involved with an incident with police officers in 2010, where the officers inflicted head and chest injuries on Derek. He spent eight days in a medically induced coma with 22 staples in his head. With the help of Medical Marijuana, Derek was able to heal his body 100%. He says cannabis allowed him to feel his body.
Before this incident with the police, Derek went through a divorce, and experienced declines in mental health as a result. Derek began researching cannabis as a potential medicine.
Now, Derek is focused on Utah cannabis education and cannabis consulting. He has also recently helped SaltBakedCity.com with their technology.
Who is Courtney Watson? [00:41]
If the state is unable to process your renewal before it expires, is it it is now illegal for you to consume medical marijuana? [3:15]
More about the review process during renewals [5:56]
Can you increase the dosing recommendation for your card during the renewal process? [8:55]
Issues with “Awaiting Certification” status [10:08]
Can you start the MMJ Card renewal process in advance? [13:05]
How do you get in contact with someone at EVS? [14:03]
Paying your card/renewal fee [15:10]
Courtney Watson works with Tim at Utah THC. She is the jack of all trades in the office and she focuses on helping patients renew their cards. She is knowledgeable about the EVS System, and in Tim’s opinion, probably knows more than some at the Utah Department of Health.
Yes, this would make it illegal to consume medical marijuana, which is why the team is doing so much to help patients make sure their cards don’t expire. Courtney and the team are reaching out to patients three weeks ahead of time, which is one week earlier than EVS will reach out to you.
The state review is not a medical review. It is a technical review process. They are not reviewing any of the patient medical data. They are just reviewing that all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.
The state is also processing between 350 and 450 new cards a week. So in addition to the new cards, they also have to process an influx of renewal applications, which may cause a few days delay in renewal.
The team at Utah THC will send out a survey that helps determine if their patients have developed a tolerance, and if dosing should be adjusted. If they determine that you need a higher dose, this recommendation can be provided during the renewal process.
For renewals and new cards, the patient does the application or the initial registration. Once the application or renewal registration is done, your status changes to “Awaiting Certification.” The qualified medical provider (QMP) will then update the certification. However, the system will still say “Awaiting Certification.”
There is no alert coming from EVS that your status has changed. Your provider will be responsible for letting you know if you’re ready to move to the next step.
Tim made a video that takes you through this process.
No, your account won’t change to what’s called “Pending Renewal” until two weeks before your card expires. Tim has asked the Department of Health to change that to 30 days, so that patients may start to work on their renewals earlier. But currently, you can only renew or apply for renewal when your status is “Pending Renewal.”
You can call them at 801-538-6504. Also, for IT issues, you can call the EVS IT department at 801-538-5779.
To pay your new Medical Marijuana Card or renewal fee:
You must do this on a blocked browser without an ad blocker or pop-up blocker. Also, this process typically does not work on a mobile device.
What is Salt Baked City? [0:40]
What does the Salt Baked City team look like? [10:57]
Cole’s vision for Salt Baked City [17:29]
How to submit content to Salt Baked City [23:02]
Cole’s thoughts on why older customers are visiting dispensaries [31:51]
Is persistent nausea a qualifying condition in Utah? [42:46]
What research, if any, has been done regarding use during pregnancy or breastfeeding? [44:16]
Cole is a journalist based in Utah. He worked for a hydro store in Utah, performing PR work. During that time, he was able to get to know the hemp growers that they cater to and the various home growers that came through their shop.
While working for the store, he noticed there was a lot of confusion around Proposition 2. He didn’t understand why local media wasn’t informing the public about the new laws that were taking effect, including how to get medical cards, which qualified medical professionals you can see, etc.
He decided to solve this problem by creating a magazine to educate the public. He also wanted to take it one step further and include community journalism on “green scene” news.
The idea for a magazine was put on hold as the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to stop production on the magazine. They have shifted their strategy to be focused on creating content for the site.
Growing up in Reno, Nevada, Cole wanted to be a journalist since the fifth grade. The first newspaper he worked for was his middle school newspaper, where he wrote about sports. Cole went to college at Indiana University.
After college, Cole went back to Reno to work for a local TV affiliate. However, he wanted to get back into print journalism, so he moved to Idaho and worked for a variety of publications.
He eventually returned back to Utah to work in Park City at the Park Record.
There are a handful of writers for the site, including Tim Pickett, host of Utah in the Weeds. When starting the project, he set out to find influencers that really understand cannabis and the “green scene.” He’s also partnered with J.D. Lauritzen, The Leafy Lawyer and Robert Hill with the Hill Family Farm.
Initially, the plan was to create a magazine. However, the pandemic made this difficult to execute. Cole was also concerned with the environmental impact of creating a paper-based magazine.
The team is now focused on their tech, including continuing to build the website and developing an app.
Cole is also focused on building a team of reporters and community journalists to cover medical cannabis and other topics.
You can email Cole at colefullmer@saltbakedcity.com to submit content to Salt Baked City.
Cole believes that the younger population just doesn’t have the money to spend $250 to get a medical card. Also, he believes that older adults are more likely to prefer to do things legally instead of obtaining cannabis on the black market.
Persistent nausea is a qualifying condition for a Medical Marijuana Card in Utah. The patient and the provider should discuss what is “persistent.” They may ask questions such as “does it affect your life?” Or,”does it affect your ability to eat the food that you want to eat, or do the things you want to do?”
Generally, if it’s affecting your life, day to day or week to week, or you can trigger it, then it could be considered “persistent.” As a qualifying condition, nausea is one of the top conditions where the effects of cannabis have been studied.
There isn’t much research on cannabis use while pregnant or breastfeeding. Because we are still unsure of the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy, research institutions haven’t performed any studies.
There have been surveys performed of women who have used cannabis while pregnant. There are some studies that say upwards of 20 to 30% of pregnant women may use cannabis some time during their pregnancy, depending on the groups you ask.
But the studies Tim reviewed found that babies where the mother used marijuana had lower birth weights. We know that heavier babies tend to be healthier than lighter weight babies, so this would be an undesirable effect.
Tim does not recommend pregnant women use cannabis.
If you are considering using marijuana during pregnancy or breastfeeding, Tim encourages you to discuss this with your medical provider.
Shawn Hammond’s background [1:26]
Why did Shawn get into hemp? [7:05]
How was Shawn able to meet Utah’s March 1st mandate? [10:01]
What is Shawn’s vision for his grow operation? [11:56]
Challenges with his temporary location [19:39]
Shawn’s plan for his permanent facility [21:00]
Which cannabis strains is Shawn currently growing? [22:00]
Does Shawn think being in Utah holds him back? [24:14]
How often does Shawn’s grow operation send Medical Marijuana to dispensaries? [32:31]
What is involved in health department testing? [34:41]
Why is it important to have a medical market for cannabis? [36:52]
Shawn’s thoughts on the recreational market [39:22]
Shawn shares his experience with a patient with mental health issues [42:18]
Several years ago, Shawn began coaching weightlifting and opened up a small gym in his garage to train athletes. Shawn also worked in the private equity space when, about five years ago, he started getting involved in the cannabis industry. Specifically, he began working with a master grower in Southern Oregon. This led to him starting a grow operation up in Southern Oregon, He later started a hemp company, which allowed him to get back into business in Utah.
Shawn got involved in hemp after seeing his master grower in Oregon treat seizures from a brain tumor with a high CBD strain of cannabis. This experience led to his fascination with hemp and the benefits of hemp.
He was able to take that experience, and the lessons he has learned in setting up operations and led to bringing in some of the best cultivators and growers in the world. His goal is to ensure patients have access to the finest cannabis products for whatever conditions they’re looking to treat.
Utah state officials gave growers like Shawn an aggressive timeline of March 1, 2020. This included Shawn providing the state with a long-term grow plan.
To meet this deadline, Shawn set up a temporary grow operation. His team has been able to grow some beautiful flowers and plants. Their grow operation is very manual and not all automated.
Shawn is currently building a state-of-the-art, world-class grow facility that will be their permanent location.
Shawn wants to grow the best exotics and the most beneficial plants. He is committed to helping patients get the relief that they need. They have spent over $150,000 on their temporary grow location and they are spending millions on their new, permanent location.
He’s excited about the difference he’s making in patients’ lives so far. Their process is very scientific and meticulous, including hand trimming leaves off of the flower.
There were challenges with zoning and other laws, such as needing to be a certain distance from schools and from residential areas. Also, he needed a landlord that was progressive enough to understand the opportunity.
The new facility will have hundreds of thousands of dollars in HVAC. They expect for the facility to be completed in six to eight weeks, and then operational two weeks after that.
Shawn’s team is doing a lot of research and development, defining their genetic library. He is looking for plants that have the characteristics of the mother plant, the father plant, and the proper terpene profiles.
Shawn doesn’t believe being in Utah will hold him back. He enjoyed his time in Oregon, but his family is here in Utah.
In 2018, Proposition 2 was finalizing and he began to look into how he could help people in his home state and provide them with high-quality medicine.
Shawn’s delivery to dispensaries is dependent on how fast the state completes test results. The team performs a harvest about every three weeks. From there, it takes about ten days to two weeks to dry.
Once properly dried, the state will come pick it up for testing. Once test results are processed, they are able to release products to dispensaries.
The Utah Department of Health performs tests to protect patients, including testing for potency and the presence of THC and cannabinoids.
They also test for mold, metals, pesticides, microbials, fungicides, etc., making sure that products are safe to consume.
Shawn believes it’s important to have a functioning program where they can be confident they are consuming Medical Cannabis products that will not cause them further harm. Organ systems and their immune systems may already be compromised. This makes state testing critical to give patients confidence in the products they’re using.
Shawn thinks that the term “recreational” should be replaced with “adult use.” He believes the term “recreational” carries a stigma of a cannabis culture that is characterized as lazy, not motivated, etc.
He also believes that the next step for the state of Utah is to expand the list of qualifying conditions for cannabis. Pharmaceuticals have failed to help conditions such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and he believes Medical Marijuana can be a better option.
Shawn describes his experience with a patient who has been hospitalized with mental health issues and chronic pain. After receiving a Medical Cannabis Card, the chronic pain went away. Also, she was able stop using benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and antidepressants to treat her mental health issues. She saw a huge improvement in her quality of life. Even her psychiatrist was amazed at her turnaround.
Tim’s new column for Salt Baked City [1:04]
How busy has Tim’s clinic been? [4:02]
More about Tim’s clinic [5:12]
Anxiety and Medical Marijuana in Utah [8:24]
When choosing cannabis, what level of THC should you choose? [11:52]
How Tim stays current with information and news on cannabis [15:13]
Tim’s recommendations for people that build up a tolerance to cannabis and want to decrease it [16:55]
Tim and Chris request new podcast guests [22:21]
Can you use an out-of-state Medical Marijuana card in Utah? [25:17]
What are the potential effects of the Federal Government decriminalizing marijuana? [27:04]
How to connect with Tim and Chris [36:16]
UtahMarijuana.org
IAmSaltLake.com
Utah in the Weeds Podcast
Utah Medical Cannabis Program
Salt Baked City
Utah’s Compassionate Use Board
Healer.com
Salt Baked City is a new publication covering news and information around marijuana in Utah. Tim will be writing a column about Medical Cannabis from a provider’s perspective, and answering questions from readers.
Tim has seen an increase in visits with the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions. Tim’s clinic is also involved with training providers, and helping them learn the process, dosing, etc.
His clinic’s website is utahmarijuana.org. Tim made the decision to consolidate his two websites, utahmarijuana.clinic and utahmarijuana.org. Now, visitors can learn more about medical marijuana, listen to the podcast, and learn about how to get a card all on the same site.
With COVID-19, Tim has seen a significant increase in people looking to get a Medical Marijuana Card for anxiety. Unfortunately, it is not a qualifying condition.
There is a petition process that you can go through with Utah’s Compassionate Use Board to try to get a Medical Marijuana Card for anxiety.
Tim and Chris enjoyed the conversations with Medical Marijuana patient, Diseree Zacher, and Desiree Hennessy from Utah Patients Coalition.
They also enjoyed discussions with Medical Marijuana patients, Mario Enriquez and David Sutherland.
For context, in the 1960s and 1970s during the Vietnam War, soldiers were treating their PTSD with cannabis. The cannabis they consumed was 6-8% THC.
Cannabis from Utah dispensaries can have THC percentages up to 25% or higher, which is very different from what was used during the Vietnam era.
Tim cautions Medical Marijuana users to be careful with doses containing higher percentages of THC, as they could cause neurologic issues and mental health issues.
Tim belongs to the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. He also recommends healer.com for more information on Medical Marijuana.
Tim believes that Medical Cannabis users should decrease their tolerance once a quarter. This would involve not consuming any cannabis products for two days. After two days, you would slowly increase your usage.
Tim and Chris would love to chat with people involved with local pharmacies. They also love patient stories. If you feel like you have a unique story, reach out to Tim and Chris.
Also, they would like to talk to people who may not be directly related to the Medical Cannabis industry. For example, glass blowers, out-of-state chefs who cook with cannabis, etc. Reach out to Chris at chris@iamsaltlake.com if you’re interested.
No, you cannot use an out-of-state Medical Marijuana Card in Utah. You can use those cards for help in providing documentation for your condition, but you still have to get a card or get a recommendation from a Qualified Medical Provider in Utah.
Tim believes that decriminalizing marijuana would allow for interstate commerce, driving the costs down for patients. For example, a patient in Utah could receive a Medical Marijuana Card, then order products from Colorado. This would introduce competition and drive costs down.
Connect with Tim at utahmarijuana.org. You can also call Tim at (801)851-5554.
Connect with Chris at chris@iamsaltlake.com.
Who is Richard Oborn? [1:47]
Richard’s experience with cannabis [4:56]
Did Utah model their program after different states or like the regulatory side? [6:35]
What is the role of the Department of Health? [9:06]
Where is Medical Cannabis grown? [11:53]
When will more dispensaries open? [13:19]
How many cards have been issued? [15:07]
Are people still having issues navigating the system to get Medical Cannabis Cards? [17:53]
What has the response been since the program launched? [19:48]
When does home delivery start? [21:38]
What is the process for additional conditions, like anxiety, to be considered as a qualifying condition? [25:18]
Does the Department of Health also manage the Compassionate Use Board? [27:12]
What changes to the Medical Marijuana program is Richard excited to see? [33:21]
UtahMarijuana.org
IAmSaltLake.com
Utah in the Weeds Podcast
Utah Medical Cannabis Program
Richard is the Director of the Center for Medical Cannabis in the Utah Department of Health. Prior to this role, he oversaw the Office of Vital Records and Statistics, where he started the Hemp Extract Registration Program. This program allowed epilepsy patients to legally possess CBD.
Once it became more clear that Proposition 2 would pass, he was asked to help the department prepare for the new law. Then, in March 2019, the Center for Medical Cannabis was created.
Richard has never used cannabis, but due to the roles at the Center for Medical Cannabis and the Office of Vital Records and Statistics, he has performed extensive research with cannabis and CBD, including attending conferences and visiting facilities in other states.
Richard was able to visit programs in other states to get a better understanding of how Utah’s cannabis program could operate. For example, Minnesota has a very restricted program, with only two companies that run the cultivation and processing of Medical Cannabis.
He also visited Arizona, which is a much more liberal program with little government involvement. Seeing different types of cannabis programs helped him prepare for what to expect in Utah.
The primary responsibility is to issue Medical Marijuana Cards.They also register Qualified Medical Providers and help manage training those providers.
Another function of the department is to oversee the pharmacies in the state. This includes ensuring that they operate in a way that complies with Utah law, and that protects the public.
There’s also an element of having to coordinate with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to ensure cannabis products are safe to consume.
Medical Cannabis for Utah pharmacies can only be grown in the state of Utah. This is primarily due to federal laws that prohibit transport across state lines.
Some dispensaries are planning to open during the summer. However, COVID-19 has caused delays for dispensaries opening.
There are 3100 Medical Cannabis Card holders. Cards were issued to residents across the state, from rural counties such as Grand, Millard, and Beaver counties, to larger counties such as Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties. They are currently seeing between 300-400 new applications per week.
The Department of Health has also certified over 300 Qualified Medical Providers. This includes MDs, DOs, APRN, and Physician Assistants, like Tim.
To find a Qualified Medical Provider, go to medicalcannabis.utah.gov and click the “Locate a Provider” link.
The Department of Health has worked to smooth out the process, including adding user guides to the site, and including a phone number on the site that people can call to get help during the process.
They will continue to improve the process to make it easier to navigate.
Right now, they are on track to issue 10,000 Medical Cannabis Cards by the end of the year. They are seeing COVID-19 impact how fast people can go through the process.
Also, because patients will no longer be able to use a medical letter in 2021, they expect to see an increase in cards issued at the end of the year.
Home delivery will start this summer. To receive home deliveries, you will need to have a Medical Marijuana Card. Patients who only have medical letters will not qualify for home delivery.
The Utah legislature has final say over qualifying conditions. The legislature also created the Cannabinoid Product Board that the Department of Health works with directly.The responsibility of the board is to make recommendations to the interim Health and Human Services Committee regarding any additional conditions that have evidence of being successfully treated by Medical Cannabis.
The board is continually reviewing studies about different conditions. They are reviewing studies that were conducted within the United States, and from around the world, looking to see if there is anything that they would recommend, as a board, to the legislature.
Yes, the Department of Health manages both the Cannabinoid Product Board and the Compassionate Use Board. The Compassionate Use Board reviews the applications that come from minors who are under the age of 21. They also review any applications that come from individuals that do not have a qualifying condition, but whose qualified medical provider believes that they would benefit from Medical Cannabis.
On https://medicalcannabis.utah.gov/, go to Providers and then Continuing Education. There are four credit hours that a provider could take toward their licensure. After taking an approved course, there is a $100 registration fee and a $50 renewal fee every two years.
The biggest change is with home delivery. Also, the Department of Health continues to improve the system, and the process of obtaining cards.
Finally, Richard is excited to see more pharmacies open during the summer and fall.
