The first special session of the 63rd Legislature of the State of Utah was held September 16th, 2019, and amendments to our medical cannabis law topped the list of considerations. The Senate and House passed amendments to the law, which Governor Gary Herbert then signed the following day.
In summary, the amendments to the Utah Medical Cannabis Act will:
- Remove a central state dispensary and take local health departments out of the equation;
- Eliminate the state from any financial transactions;
- Increase the maximum number of private medical cannabis pharmacies from 7 to 14 to compensate for the state and local health departments not dispensing medical cannabis;
- Allow for the creation of home delivery services, particularly to address the needs of rural residents;
- Implement a statewide electronic patient portal with a “patient portal pharmacist” whom patients can consult with for information about dosage;
- Provide new legal protections for patients by stating that in certain circumstances, lawful cannabis may not be considered differently than lawful use of an opioid;
- Authorize the Utah Department of Food & Agriculture to license colleges to conduct medical cannabis research—it’s unlawful for anyone not operating under the license of a medical cannabis research license to obtain or possess cannabis for academic medical research;
- Standardize all sale limits to a 30-day supply, eliminating the requirement for those living close to pharmacies to receive only a 14-day supply.
These fixes are expected to help Utah stay on track to meet the law’s March 1, 2020 deadline for completing the infrastructure allowing businesses to grow and dispense, and patients to purchase and use, medical cannabis legally within the state.
For more information and resources for your patients, visit our public website on medical cannabis.