Things are Feeling Perfect in Ogden

For more than three years, Pam Harris and Mica Medford have been fighting to open an Ogden dispensary. As of yesterday, May 1, 2020, they’re both feeling that all their efforts have finally come “full-circle.”

If you’ve driven down Riverdale Road in South Ogden in the last three years or so, you’ve likely seen people holding signs, gathering signatures, registering voters, and educating local residents about the importance of Utah’s medical Cannabis Proposition 2 introduced in 2015.

Now, instead of being kicked out of parking lots these demonstrators can now gather at Perfect Earth Modern Apothecary, located at 3775 South Wall Avenue in South Ogden. It must be a perfect feeling to be able to purchase medical Cannabis alongside patients they supported through the Utah Patients Coalition.

They are both responsible for adding over 10,000 signatures to the petition that included Proposition 2 to the 2016 ballot.

Standing outside with a sealed bag containing an eighth of Sundae Driver Cannabis flowers she bought inside, Pam Harris said, “I can’t believe we’ve finally arrived at this point and I feel all of our hard work over the past three years has finally come full-circle.”

Ogden’s newest Cannabis pharmacy opened its doors at 11 a.m. Friday, May 1, 2020, and, despite the morning rain, it had nearly 50 patients lining-up to be first to buy legal Cannabis in a city known for promoting radical ideas.

Perfect Earth Modern Apothecary sits in Ogden’s old downtown area, formerly known in years past for its saloons, brothels, and rebellious thinkers of the time. Apparently, this is an ongoing tradition.

The first patient to purchase products at Perfect Earth was Layton resident, Shelly Ullrich, Utah Patients for Cannabis and Natural Choices Social Media Director.

Ullrich suffers from Fibromyalgia, which is facial pain caused by nerve damage. She also has degenerative disk disease, and suffers additional pain from a level-5 fusion in the vertebrae in her neck.  She has been waiting for the legalization of Cannabis for nearly a decade.

“Today was the result of a lot of hard work and I feel so proud to be a Utah medical cannabis patient,” she said, inside of the former Key Bank turned cannabis pharmacy.

Ullrich gave up using pharmaceutical drugs to treat her illnesses ten-years ago because she felt they were interfering with her relationship with her children.  Her only options for finding adequate medication were the black-market and driving to other states where Cannabis was legal. It wasn’t long before Ullrich found herself terrified of losing her children because of illegal acts.

“It’s still sinking in that I can drive over here and pick my medicine and not be illegal,” Ullrich said. “I’ve been doing this for over a century under-the-wire, it’s scary, and you shouldn’t have to live that way.”

Along with Ullrich, the staff at Perfect Earth said they have provided medical Cannabis products for over 100 Utah patients in their first day of operation. Despite rumors of shortages of available Cannabis flowers, they still have plenty of products for weekend shoppers.

Although pharmacies have been opening their doors, the eight medical growers selected by the State to supply products have had little time to build, grow,  or harvest enough to supply Utah’s 2,261 registered medical patients reported in mid-April, by the Utah Department of Health.

“There is a worry of running out of products, but we brought in as much as we could,” said Tim Pearl, Director of Operations at Perfect Earth Modern Apothecary. “It’s really hard to say whether we have enough product for today, tomorrow, or into next week, and it really depends on how busy we get.”

“Although product selection is still limited because of the fresh market, flower will still be available Saturday to patients,” staff members said.

“We will keep products updated on our website,” said Pearl . “We have flower at the State facility being tested which should be available by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.”

Sativa strains of Tropicana Cookies, and hybrid Cherry Cookie Haze, and an Indica hybrid strain called Sundae Driver were deliciously available, grown by Tryke, one of Utah’s medical Cannabis growers based in Nevada.

A variety of vape cartridges, tinctures, and topicals are also available. Patients planning on visiting Perfect Earth will need to bring cash to purchase products, a copy of their State issued medical Cannabis card, and their State ID.

Please keep in mind, Defense Letters are accepted but need to be registered on the pharmacy’s website and verified before visiting.

If you’ve already used your Defense Letter at another pharmacy, you are obligated to return to the same pharmacy until card registration with the state is complete.

If you’ve already had a first-time consultation with a pharmacist at another State dispensary, you’re not required to repeat this process when visiting Perfect Earth.

Perfect Earth Modern Apothecary is open 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (hours subject to change). Keep your dance cards open because they’re planning a large grand opening celebration event once social distancing due to COVID-19 is no-longer required.