Medical Cannabis - Myths vs Realities
*Originally posted July 2022. Reposted here for educational purposes.
Utah’s medical cannabis system is new. Most new things unroll needing work. So it is with this system. The Utah Bee surveyed over 150 medical cannabis patients in Utah in an attempt to identify where the problems are found. Below are five myths about the medical cannabis system in Utah versus the realities of the system as seen from the patient view.
MYTH #1 - “Medical cannabis” is a made-up term used by recreational drug seekers looking to get high without getting in trouble.
REALITY #1 - “Medical cannabis” is real. Cannabis is helping patients throughout Utah manage their pain, nausea, and other symptoms. Most medical cannabis patients in Utah are older men and women.
MYTH #2 - The current medical cannabis system in Utah provides enough product, enough variety, and enough flower to meet the needs of patients in the state.
REALITY #2 - The current medical cannabis system is dramatically failing to meet the needs of medical cannabis patients in Utah.
When surveyed, patients overwhelmingly asked for more products, more variety, and better prices. Flower is in high demand. The simple answer to this problem is to let people grow for personal use.
The black market and smuggling from out of state systems outcompetes the current medical cannabis system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and quality. Our current system leaves money on the table.
MYTH #3 - The current medical cannabis system in Utah provides enough dispensaries throughout the state, providing convenience and ease to patients.
REALITY #3 - The current medical cannabis system needs more dispensaries.
People surveyed indicated that dispensaries are not convenient. They are too sparsely available. Either the state needs to open up the market to let supply and demand dictate the amount of dispensaries, they need to add many more dispensaries throughout the state or people should be allowed to grow at home for personal use.
As location, price, and variety were determined to be the most important shopping factors to medical cannabis patients, additional locations are very necessary.
MYTH #4 - The current medical cannabis system is easy to use.
REALITY #4 - The current medical cannabis system is confusing, cumbersome, and unfriendly for doctors and patients alike.
Patients surveyed share the current process is too frustrating and difficult. It needs to be streamlined making it easier and more user friendly to the average person. Currently there is a large amount of bureaucracy, confusing jargon and too many steps and clicks involved. Both the process itself, as well as the state’s website and portal needs to be more user friendly and less adversarial.
More than ¼ of respondents reported the process took longer than expected to receive their cards, or have yet to receive anything at all.
MYTH #5 - All cannabis is created equal.
REALITY #5 - Every person responds to cannabis differently.
Some people react positively to flower, others to edibles, and others to vaping, etc. Allowing patients and doctors to make the best decisions for each individual should be a private matter. Our current medical cannabis system needs to provide high quality products, in a vast variety, at a reasonable price. An open market would do that. If the state chooses to keep this a closed, controlled market, then the market manipulators must step in to provide the items that patients demand.
Most medical cannabis patients in this state are looking for a safe system that allows them personal autonomy while managing their medical problems. The current system erects continued barriers. Hopefully, lawmakers are paying attention and listening to constituents throughout the state. There are solutions to these problems if only these lawmakers are brave enough to identify and implement them.