SALT LAKE CITY – Under current state law, growing medical cannabis is only permitted by the eight lucky cultivators who were awarded licenses by the Utah Department of Agriculture late last year.
Despite the fact that over 20,000 residents have participated in Utah’s medical cannabis program since it began in March, patients are completely reliant on these eight licensed cultivators for their medicine. A decision made by litigators during, post election, Proposition 2 negotiations makes it illegal for patients to grow their own cannabis. “Home growing,” by patients is allowed in the neighboring states of Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.
Although the home-grow provision was originally included in the Proposition 2 ballot that was approved by residents, legislators replaced it with a home-delivery program that has not yet been unveiled by the Utah Department of Health. This policy change was driven by a fear that patient grown cannabis would fuel the black-market selling of cannabis in the state.
Patients in Nevada, where cannabis was legalized for medical use in November 2000, are allowed to grow six cannabis plants for personal use so long as they live more than 25 miles from a dispensary. Utah’s Proposition 2, which originally allowed patient home growing, required those residents to live 100 miles away from the nearest pharmacy, and only allowed them to grow four plants.
Some argue that the current state of cannabis demand heavily outweighing it’s availability in Utah is the result of a new industry experiencing growing pains, while others suggest that eight cultivators cannot, alone, match the growing patient population now – or in the future.
The state is also experiencing a bottleneck with product testing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is adding to the current cannabis crisis.
In fact, many patients have reported to Salt Baked City they have gone to a local pharmacy to acquire medicine, only to find that they were completely sold out of cannabis flower. Leaving only a limited selection of vape cartridges, tinctures, and salves to choose from. Although some products are in stock, the ones that work for them, specifically, usually are not. Thousands of Utahans have experienced this same dilemma, which is, sadly, turning them back to the black-market they relied on in the past.
There is a general consensus that once cultivators set roots and more pharmacies open doors to patients, production will begin to match demand. Despite this, patients argue that home growing would resolve shortage issues, allow patients to cultivate to their specific needs, and should be legalized in Utah.
We are in the midst of a pandemic. Requiring already sick patients to travel to a pharmacy and wait in long lines, sometimes for hours, is a recipe for disaster. Allowing home growing by these patients would allow them to stay at home and eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19 or other dangerous diseases at the pharmacies. This would also allow patients who suffer from acute anxiety, or other illnesses that can make traveling difficult or impossible, access to their medication.
While the state is experiencing record unemployment, the current prices for cannabis at Utah pharmacies are extremely high compared to other markets and are unaffordable for the average person in today’s economic reality.
Medical insurance does not cover medical cannabis in Utah, so patients are required to pay out of pocket, with cash, for medicinal products. With the right equipment, medical cannabis can be grown at home for pennies per nug. Local stores like Moonlight Garden Supply located at 1573 S. State Street in Salt Lake City, can provide all of the equipment a patient might need.
Allowing patients to grow their own medication, would take a huge financial strain off of sick those seeking treatment, and the staff at Moonlight Garden Supply say that, “the act of growing plants is, in itself, therapeutic.”
Allowing patients to grow their own medicine would let them take control of their own health and treatment. This goal is expressed by many who suffer from one of the qualifying medical conditions required to obtain access to the state’s medical cannabis program.
For example, if a patient finds that a certain strain works for them, they could grow it themselves and have a consistent supply of that strain instead of having to rely on a pharmacy that may, or may not, have what works for them. Allowing patients to grow their own medication would ensure that they know exactly what goes into their medicine and, eventually, into their body.
I am a huge advocate of organic cannabis and am discouraged by the fact that patients have to rely on cannabis from companies that provide little to no information on how it’s grown. Pesticides, fertilizers, and salt nutrients with heavy metals are not healthy for consumption, and these ingredients should be listed by cultivators.
While the fear that home grown cannabis could end up on the black market is a valid concern, it shouldn’t prevent Utah patients from being able to grow their medication. Utah is surrounded by states where cannabis is legal for recreational and medical use, and that, by itself, fuels our state’s black market. Allowing patients to grow a limited amount of medicine, will not fuel our black market, but rather eliminate black market cannabis from entering the state in the first place by ensuring that our patients do not need to go out of state to procure their medication.
Many states have successfully implemented programs that allow patients to grow, and those states have seen no growth in illegal drug sales.
For example, Vermont patients are permitted to grow three mature plants and three immature plants at a time. The state requires those to grow their cannabis in a locked area that only the patient can access. This is a effective strategy because it keeps medical cannabis out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have it. Utah could implement a similar policy which would alleviate concerns around cannabis getting into the wrong hands.
To allow patients to grow their own medicine is to do right by Utah’s patients. I would encourage anyone who feels the same way to contact their local legislator and demand that Utahans be granted the right to grow their own medicine during these challenging times.
