Provisional Medical Cannabis Cards Coming to Utah

Provisional Medical Cannabis Cards Coming to Utah The 2021 legislative session turned out to be pretty good for the medical cannabis industry. The Department of Health's Rich Oborn began making the rounds shortly after the session ended, updating the community as to what we can expect in the coming months. One of the things he talked about was the establishment of a provisional medical cannabis card. Yes, indeed. Provisional medical cannabis cards are coming to Utah later this year. Although the state hasn't talked a lot about them, a recently published document outlining all of the proposed fees for both the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years shows fees for provisional cards. That is a pretty strong indicator that the cards are coming. Allowing for Immediate Access Provisional medical cannabis cards were not really an issue prior to the start of this year. Last year, patients could obtain letters of recommendation from their qualified medical providers, then turn around and take those letters directly to a cannabis pharmacy for immediate access to their medicine. That changed as of January 1, 2020. The new year brought an end to the letters. Now, patients cannot access medical cannabis without a state-issued card. Because it can take up to 15 days from the receipt of a patient's application for a card to be issued, immediate access is no longer possible. The provisional card solves that problem. Though the details are sketchy at this point, it would appear as though patients will be able to get provisional cards that expire in as little as 30 days or can be extended for up to one year. The proposed fee schedule shows fees for 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months. In theory, the provisional card is used during the time it takes for a patient's application to be reviewed and approved.

Once a patient's regular medical cannabis card is issued, it is subject to the normal renewal provisions. What This Means to Patients Patients with existing medical cannabis cards are not affected by the provisional measure. The measure is really intended for new patients. Those who receive their provisional cards will be able to immediately access cannabis pharmacies in Utah. Patients will be able to come to our Park City pharmacy, for example, where we will be able to verify their provisional status using the state's electronic database. Practically speaking, this means patients will no longer have to wait on formal approval of their applications to get their medicine. Moreover, patients seeking access to medical cannabis through the compassionate use provision of state law should be able to obtain provisional cards while they wait on the Compassionate Use Board to render a decision. Updates Are Necessary It is not clear when the new provisional card system will be official. Between now and then, updates to the states computer systems are probably necessary. It could take some time to get the entire system up to snuff. For now, new patients will still have to deal with delays. Introducing a provisional card system is a big step forward for the state legislature. We know that not everyone at the state level is on board with medical cannabis. However, we appreciate that lawmakers are honoring the people's will as it relates to the referendum that made medical cannabis legal in the Beehive State. Our lawmakers have shown, over the last two years, a willingness to create the best medical cannabis program in the country. Utah's most recent state legislative session proved that. In addition to introducing provisional cards, there are some other good things coming. Little by little, Utah's program is getting better.