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Utah state preparing to produce and sell medical marijuana

Posted at 6:02 PM, Mar 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-18 20:02:13-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Two men in two state departments are heading up Utah’s foray into the business of growing and selling marijuana.

Drew Rigby is supervising the supply line process from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food while Rich Oborn is directing the medical side of things from the State Department of Health.

Both men say they’re on track to have cannabis available to medical patients by the state-mandated target of March, 2020.

Rigby’s confidence comes from time in the private sector.

“I started a number of cannabis companies a few years ago,” Rigby said, emphasizing the businesses were in states where cannabis is legal.

Oborn has served as a manager in other state agencies. He says the state is determined to support patients who need medical marijuana.

“We want to be reasonable. We want to be fair,” Oborn said.

Both men say the current focus is finding the right computer software to track the cannabis from the plant to the pill.