A Conversation On Utah’s Medical Cannabis Program
by MADELINE FERGUSON
Dragonfly Wellness, owned by Hoang Nguyen, is one of Utah’s vertically integrated (more on this later) medical cannabis companies.
Nguyen is an immigrant. She moved to the United States as a child in 1983 after her family was granted political asylum following the Vietnam War. The family moved to Salt Lake City later in her childhood.
She grew up on the West Side, in Glendale, saying it gave her a sense of community. Now she gives back to the community by helping patients get the medicine they need.
“I loved growing up on the West Side in the Glendale area. I loved it, I loved the community out there. I learned what it meant to grow up in an area where you are not necessarily part of the main dominant religion … which had a huge influence on the values that were taught in this area,” she described her formative years in Utah.
Dragonfly Wellness
Dragonfly Wellness is one of Utah’s first all-encompassing medical cannabis companies. It is vertically integrated meaning they handle everything from start to finish. They grow the plants (cultivate), process the products and sell them out of their storefront or pharmacy, which can be found in Downtown Salt Lake City.
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Vertical integration allows experts to be involved in every step of the way, ensuring a quality product for patients. Transparency about products is particularly important for patients in the medical community.
“That’s why it was so important for us to be vertically integrated. We wanted to be able to control how the plants are grown and how the medicine is processed,” she shared.
They grow in San Pete County, process in South Salt Lake and sell in Downtown Salt Lake City, making it a truly local effort.
“With medical cannabis, in 2018, we had an opportunity to throw our hat in the ring to see if we could get a license… we were awarded a cultivation license and soon after we were awarded the pharmacy license,” Nguyen described the beginnings of Dragonfly.
How Has Utah’s Attitude To Cannabis Changed
Being involved in Utah’s program from the beginning gave Nguyen a front-row seat to see the changes and growing pains the program and the culture have had along the way.
“Back in 2019 … the sentiment from the legislators and regulating bodies was that they didn’t know what to expect. They thought they needed to control it, clamp down on it … and make sure it’s not this big scary thing,” she described people being fearful.
Dragonfly currently holds about 40 percent of Utah’s patient base, according to Nguyen.
“Dragonfly has proven that it’s not that big scary thing and there is a space and a need for it within the medical program. We firmly believe in the medical program,” she said.
Community Support
Nguyen is passionate about giving back. One way she does that is through the support of The Prisoner Project.
“In an industry where the war on drugs has really marginalized minorities and got them in trouble for doing things we are doing legally now,” she explained. “We give financial support and time to try to get their (The Last Prisoners Project) word out there … to save those prisoners.”
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