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SALT LAKE CITY — A new program will make it much easier for Utahns with a qualifying condition to obtain a prescription for medical cannabis.
The Utah Department of Health and medical cannabis pharmacies launched the program on Wednesday. It allows any Utah-licensed physician, advanced practice medical nurse, physician assistant or podiatrist who has a controlled substance license to recommend medical cannabis to up to 15 of their patients.
Under this program, over 21,000 medical providers can make the recommendation, and Utahns with qualifying conditions will no longer need to meet with one of the registered clinicians to be able to get a medical cannabis card.
"This program expands access to medical cannabis for qualifying patients by increasing the number of clinicians who have the option to recommend medical cannabis. In the past, adult patients had to obtain a recommendation from one of the 800 medical providers who were registered with the Utah Department of Health but that is no longer the case," said Richard Oborn with the Utah Department of Health's Center for Medical Cannabis.
Any patients younger than 21 will still need to obtain a recommendation from one of the 800 previously registered medical providers.
The department said there are currently 41,000 Utah residents with a medical cannabis card, and there are currently 14 medical cannabis pharmacies. One more pharmacy is scheduled to open this year in Price.
