There are 14 different medical conditions a Utah resident can qualify under to legally use medical cannabis in the state. Utah County resident, Chirine Touati, suffers from four of them.
Touati is a 42 year-old mother who has been using cannabis to help alleviate symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis for over 25 years in Utah. Additionally to MS, she also suffers from Fibromyalgia and Intracranial Hypertension – causing her excruciating pain most days.
“I’ve had MS symptoms most of my life, which has caused me to suffer a lot of pain, and anxiety comes along with those kinds of issues,” Touati said during an interview with Salt Baked City. “When I first tried cannabis and felt the effects for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is how normal people feel?’ This experience has been a miracle, and I’ve used the plant for medicine ever since.”
Touati explains she mostly uses cannabis for a pain mitigator, and without it she would feel a burning sensation in her extremities regularly – drastically affecting her quality of life.
Because of her illnesses, Touati is a prime candidate for the state’s new medical cannabis program and can finally use the medicine legally. She received her state issued medical cannabis card in January 2021 after visiting Terra Health and Wellness – a clinic located in Millcreek known for helping residents with medical cannabis card applications and other homeopathic remedies.
In the past, like many cannabis consumers in the Behave State, the young mother was forced to consume her medicine secretly for years in fear law enforcement, or even worse, child protective custody would find out.
Although medical cannabis is legal in Utah, state laws regarding the possession and sale of the plant still have hefty fines – especially those not registered in the state’s medical cannabis program.
Possession of less than one ounce is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment and a maximum fine of $1,000. Possession of one ounce to one pound is a class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment and a maximum fine of $2,500.
During 2016 when Touati and other state’s residents were medicating illegally, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reported Utah law enforcement arrested 5,752 residents for cannabis possession, while another 330 were apprehended for cannabis sales.
“People shouldn’t be in fear of feeling better, but [in the past] you needed to be careful when using cannabis in a state like Utah, especially when you’re a parent,” Touati said. “You need to know your neighbors, know your friends, know your rights, and be very careful who you talk to about cannabis. Luckily, I was successful at staying out of trouble and I was also able to educate my son about the many benefits of cannabis at the same time.”
Touati has a long list of pharmaceuticals she’s required to take daily ranging from Gabapentin, Morphine, and Percocet. Even though these medications are effective, and very powerful, she says cannabis works the best when improving her daily life and alleviating the pain she experiences. So much so, she claims she could completely remove the opioids from her medical plan if she could afford the amount of cannabis she needs.
So, why doesn’t she?
Some claim Utah medical providers still rely too heavily on prescription drugs although medical cannabis has become a safer option in the state.
According to a study performed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) last year, Utah providers wrote 57.1 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons during 2018, compared to the average U.S. rate of 51.4 prescriptions. Utah also reported 437 drug overdose deaths involving opioids that year. The same year when 53 percent of Utahns voted to adopt Proposition 2, the state’s new medical cannabis program.
After years of consuming cannabis to alleviate her pain, Touati has learned one gram of Full Extract Cannabis Oil per day, also known as FECO, will alleviate her symptoms of MS and could replace the need for Gabapentin, Morphine, and Percocet.
Medical cannabis isn’t covered by insurance or Medicaid because it remains federally illegal, causing Touati and other Utah patients to pay for cannabis with out-of-pocket expenses. A feat she claims is impossible.
“I’m not living my best life right now and that’s because the state’s medical cannabis program doesn’t support patients like me,” Touati said.
In order to live her best life, according to Touati, Utah pharmacies need to start carrying affordable high-THC products she needs like FECO, or Rick Simpson OIL (RSO) regularly. Since pharmacy doors first opened in March of 2020, concentrates have been limited in the state’s industry due to the lack of cannabis biomass produced by growers, and also the high-demand coming from the 40,000+ patient population relying on these limited products.
During our interview in January, Dragonfly Wellness located in Salt Lake City was the only pharmacy in the state that had RSO in stock – costing $80 per gram. There were less than a dozen other types of high-THC products available at the other 13 pharmacies statewide – making it difficult for patients like Touati to rely on a consistent supply.
Even if these products were available to Touati on a regular basis, it’s still unlikely she could afford the amount of cannabis she is allocated per month by the Utah Department of Health – and the amount she has learned her body needs to alleviate her pain.
According to state law, Utah qualifying patients may not possess more than an amount sufficient to provide 30-days of treatment based on the dosing guidelines recommended by their medical provider. Typically most providers allow their patients to have access to the state limit, which is 113 grams of unprocessed cannabis flower and 20 grams of total composite THC, or also known as high-THC concentrates.
With current prices, it’s estimated that Touati would need to spend somewhere around $2,500 per month to supply her with the legal amount of FECO to treat her illnesses. Unfortunately, this is still 10 grams under the amount of what she feels remedies her symptoms enough to quit the opioids and function in life.
“Until insurance covers my cannabis meds like my other pharmaceuticals, the only way I could afford the amount of cannabis I need is if I could grow my own,” Touati said. “Even though cannabis is legal in Utah, it’s as if they don’t want you to get off the pharmaceuticals.”
Touati is currently relying on Intermountain Home and Hospice Care (IHC) services to receive IV Therapy for her MS symptoms, which is partially covered by her Medicare coverage. The IHC bill and prescription cost varies throughout the year, but it is estimated at about $420 a week, while her out-of-pocket expenses are $150 per month after insurance helps. The same amount she allows herself to spend on cannabis at the pharmacies per month.
“I don’t like thinking about how easy all of this could be solved,” Touati said. “If I had access to full strength medical cannabis and insurance was able to be applied like my other medications, I could save Medicare, Home and Hospice, and myself a lot of money without all that other medication going through my system.”
The state’s new medicine still remains unreachable for many patients who need it because federal cannabis laws prohibit insurance coverage. Until cannabis laws evolve nationally, the Utah Patients Coalition is among the first advocacy groups in the country to create a subsidiary program to help with patient costs.
The coalition, which is a non-profit organization created to protect and defend patients’ rights in Utah, has partnered with six out of 14 pharmacies around the state who will offer the subsidy services to patients.
Since the subsidy program began during April of 2021, they have accepted 70 patients who receive a $150 monthly allowance to purchase cannabis products, according to Desiree Hennessey, Executive Director of the UPC.
Currently the coalition is donating over $10,000 per month to participating pharmacies to help this small patient population.
During January of this year, Hennessey said the coalition received over 400 applications from patients to receive assistance, but because of lack of pharmacy participation and funding, the UPC is having a difficult time supporting the number of patients they would prefer.
“Dragonfly Wellness donates 1% of their earnings back into the community every year,” Hennessey said. “The subsidy doesn’t get all of that money, but they support us more than any other pharmacy in the state. They are really setting an example for the rest of the industry and wish others in the state would follow their lead. Currently we have six out of 15 pharmacies participating and we need them all to be successful.”
Dragonfly Wellness was one of the first to help with the coalition’s subsidy program, and announced during 2021 they would be donating $130,000 to help patients. WholesomeCo Cannabis, Perfect Earth Modern Apothecary, and Deseret Wellness are the other state pharmacies currently participating in the subsidy program.
There are other subsidy programs state pharmacies choose to participate in, such as Utah Therapeutic Uplift program, where medications and QMP visits are covered.
“Beehive Farmacy has always given low income patients that qualify for Medicaid a 25% off discount at both locations,” said Mindy Madeo, lead pharmacist at Beehive Farmacy in Brigham City.
According to AP News, a similar program located in Berkeley, California allows patients who make less than $32,000 a year to access medical cannabis for free at local dispensaries through a city ordinance. Other states like Oregon and Florida provide reduced prices for state medical cannabis cards.
Since the Utah medical cannabis program and the subsidy program are still in their infancy, only a small number of patients have been able to receive assistance so far, according to Hennessey.
Touati is a prime candidate for the subsidy program and was able to fill out an application after her interview with Salt Baked City.
Since then, she has been accepted by Deseret Wellness to become the first patient to receive the $150 allowance at their Provo location.
“It’s been difficult to get the word out and let patients know we have programs like this designed to help them,” Hennessey said. “I really wish we could help more patients, but we need the industry to recognize how important this is first and jump on board.”
Receiving the subsidy from the UPC isn’t fixing Touati’s financial problems completely, but says this is proof that our country is evolving to accept cannabis as a real medication.
Currently there are over 40,000 patients registered in the state who have medical cannabis cards. It’s estimated that the program is losing nearly 1,800 patients a month when those registered are failing to renew their state’s credentials. Some are saying program and product cost is the reason.
“We don’t have a perfect program and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before we do,” Hennessey said. “If we keep patients as our main focus, there is no way we can’t make it better.”
If you are in need, or know of a patient who needs assistance with medical cannabis costs, visit www.utahpatients.org/upsp/ to apply or to nominate someone for Utah Patient Subsidy Program today.
