Utah Advocates Launch 2018 Medical Cannabis Campaign

The Utah Patients Coalition (UPC) officially launched its medical cannabis initiative yesterday in preparation for the state’s 2018 ballot. If passed, it will allow patients to gain access to legal cannabis through a doctor’s prescription.

The initiative strives to provide patients with better access, but would also tightly regulate how many dispensaries or cultivators will be allowed. It would also establish zoning rules for medical cannabis facilities, ban any type of public use and continues to make driving under the influence of cannabis illegal.

Utah has had its fair share of progress, but now more than ever residents of the state support medical cannabis legalization. According to Utah Policy, 73 percent of voters agree that they would vote “yes” on a bill that allows doctors to recommend cannabis to treat conditions such as cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s, among others. 49 percent said that they would “definitely vote yes” to legalization. Although some people are unsure, 79 percent of respondents still agreed that they support medical cannabis in principle, and 72 percent claim they would be more likely to support medical cannabis on the ballot if doctors were allowed to recommend it for chronic pain.

Most Utahns are ready to take the next step, including UPC Campaign Director DJ Schanz. “Utahns are compassionate, and medical cannabis is ultimately a question of compassion. Voters in our state support allowing sick Utahns to legally and safely access medical treatments that alleviate suffering,” Schanz said. “The patients cannot wait any longer, so we are proposing a conservative medical cannabis initiative that Utahns across the political spectrum will approve at the ballot box next year.”

The initiative has already been filed with the lieutenant governor, and the UPC must wait for further approval and a fiscal note from the state in order to proceed. Only after organizers attend seven different meetings with voters can UPC supporters begin collecting the necessary 113,143 signatures that will be needed to qualify for the ballot.