SALT LAKE CITY — Chris Lott said he got his medical cannabis card to have peace of mind, knowing he is obeying all of Utah's laws.
Cannabis, he said, has helped him with his medical conditions.
"The medication I've been using for years, so I know it’s already working for me," he told FOX 13 News.
But obtaining a medical cannabis card and renewing it as required by law has been tricky in the past.
"I have found some things as far as physicians not following through or being consistent, nowhere reliable where I can renew my card year after year for a price that is more reasonable," Lott said.
He ended up getting one through Utah Grown, which partners with the medical cannabis pharmacy Dragonfly Wellness across the street. The cost, Lott said, was cheaper.
"$300 compared to $70 or 75 makes all the difference to people," he said.
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But a recent change to Utah's medical cannabis laws passed by the state legislature this year has some patient advocates worried that access could be restricted. Lawmakers now prohibit "pop up" events where prospective patients can see if they qualify for a medical cannabis card.
"It doesn't allow us to have temporary events like our 4/20 market event on Sunday, where we can bring medical providers, engage with the community, ask questions about medical cannabis," said Narith Panh, the chief growth officer for Dragonfly Wellness.
Utah law requires a qualified medical provider to undergo special training to be able to recommend cannabis to a patient. But the Utah Patients Coalition has said consistently, not enough medical providers are willing to do that.
"In essence, we created pot doctors when we were trying to avoid pot doctors. But the QMPs we have had? Have been excellent. They’re regular doctors," said Desiree Hennessy, the coalition's executive director. "This is just something else they provide and coming to a pharmacy to provide it is better access for a patient."
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The law still allows medical providers to recommend near a pharmacy, so long as it is a "permanent structure." Hennessy said she believed the law change on temporary events will create more hurdles.
"It’s just another time that they’re moving the bar and making patients pivot and figure out how again to get access," she said.
House Minority Whip Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, one of the lawmakers who runs medical cannabis legislation on Utah's Capitol Hill, pushed back on the idea that patients would lose access.
"I think the statement that this is going to drastically limit access is more sensational than in practice. The last thing I want to do is limit access. I want it to be as easy as possible within limits, so it is safe," she told FOX 13 News.
But Rep. Dailey-Provost said she also wants patients to begin going to their regular health care providers to seek cannabis.
"In my view, too many patients are not accessing their medical cannabis prescriptions with their health care provider, they’re accessing medical cannabis prescriptions through somebody they have never met," she said Friday, pointing out that the legislature did pass a bill this year to loosen regulations on medical providers to make it easier for them to recommend cannabis.
Panh said there is still a reluctance among patients and providers.
"I think most people are generally nervous to have these types of conversations with their primary care physicians because traditionally speaking, cannabis has been illegal," he said. "It is legal, it’s recognized as medicine in our state."
In 2018, Utah voters legalized medical cannabis. Lawmakers then overrode it with a program that is strictly regulated. New figures from the Utah Department of Health & Human Services show the program is on track to have 100,000 registered medical cannabis cardholders this month. The top conditions people seek access for is pain, PTSD, nausea control and cancer.
Medical cannabis legislation is carefully negotiated and a select group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers are authorized by legislative leadership to run bills on the subject. This year, social conservative groups pushed back against efforts to expand pharmacies across the state and other changes. A recent public opinion survey, however, showed that a majority of Utahns now favor legalizing recreational marijuana, which some medical cannabis groups have argued is why the state needs to ensure a robust and accessible medical program.
To mark 4/20, the unofficial marijuana "holiday" on Sunday, many medical cannabis pharmacies in Utah will hold events. Some plan to ask patients to speak to their elected lawmakers and push for changes.
"They should think about the barriers that they put up," Lott said of legislators. "When you put up the barriers to access the medication we desperately need, you open windows to the black market."
