SALT LAKE CITY — Who is going to grow Utah's medical marijuana remains unknown as a July 1 license application deadline looms.

State officials leading the medical marijuana license process said this week they will not release the names of applicants right now but will likely make applicant information public as soon as licenses are awarded mid-July.

It's the latest development in a high-stakes affair where local farmers and state officials wrestle with how to grow a new crop of cannabis in a heavily regulated environment.

The popularity of medical pot is rising as more states legalize it, with politically conservative states such as Utah and Oklahoma among the most recent additions. There are now 33 states where medical marijuana is legal and at least 1.4 million people are patients nationwide, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Applications to grow Utah's medical pot opened on May 31. Utah will allow up to 10 growers, including out-of-state cultivators, to produce it for state consumption.

Some states shielded medical marijuana license applications from the public, including Illinois and Nevada. But several companies that lost bids for Nevada dispensary licenses last year filed lawsuits arguing the process wasn't transparent.

Utah wants to avoid similar legal quagmires. Assistant Attorney General Paul Tonks, who is helping coordinate medical marijuana license applications, said releasing applicants' names once licenses are awarded will increase transparency.

Chris Hughes, the director of the state's Division of Purchasing who is assisting Tonks with the license process, said releasing applicants' names before licenses are awarded could negatively sway the process.

"Knowing who their competition is could create undue influence or give potential growers an unfair advantage," Hughes said. "We want to be as open and transparent as possible without creating issues."

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Medicinal marijuana is well on its way to local production in Utah

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, with the Utah Department of Health, is working hard to make sure there's enough medicinal marijuana to go around when the law allows that to happen.

Information that could impair the government's purchase of services or goods like medical pot is typically withheld until bidders are awarded, he added.

Farmers and marijuana advocates said they support the state's decision.

Tom Paskett, the executive director of the Utah Cannabis Association, said releasing information during the process could do more harm than good.

"We don't want folks framing their bids based on other applicants, or the competition to start before cultivators even get their licenses," he said.

Others said knowing who other bidders are would be an unwelcome distraction.

"If I knew how many big, out-of-state cultivators were also applying, it would psyche me out," said Lyle Christensen, a Utah farmer applying to grow medical pot.

Marijuana dispensaries are set to open in Utah next year.

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