RECOMMENDING CANNABIS IN UTAH

Physicians, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, and physician assistants who are licensed to prescribe a controlled substance will be allowed to recommend medical cannabis treatment for their patients. A limited medical provider (LMP) may do a medical cannabis recommendation to up to 15 patients without registering with UDOH and without using the EVS. A limited medical provider is any MD, DO, APRN, PA, or podiatrist with a controlled substance license. Providers must register as a qualified medical provider through an Electronic Verification System (EVS) established by the UDOH. A qualified medical provider (physician, osteopathic physician, APRN, and PAs) must be licensed to prescribe controlled substances and complete four hours of continuing education prior to registering as a designated provider. Providers may not recommend cannabis to more than 175 patients at one time or more than 300 if the provider is certified in certain specialties. Providers may only recommend cannabis in the course of a patient-physician relationship after reviewing the patient's medical history and condition. A continuing education requirement will be required for doctor's every two years.

Eligible Medical Conditions:

  • HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Cancer
  • Cachexia
  • Persistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment except for nausea related to: pregnancy, cannabis-induced cyclical vomiting syndrome, or CBD hyperemesis syndrome
  • Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
  • Epilepsy or debilitating seizures
  • Multiple sclerosis or debilitating muscle spasms
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is being treated and monitored by a mental health therapist and that: has been diagnosed by a health care provider or mental health provider by the VA and documented in the patient’s record; or has been diagnosed or confirmed by evaluation by a psychiatrist, master’s level degree psychologist, a master’s level degree licensed clinical social worker, or a psych APRN
  • Pain that is expected to last for longer than two weeks or longer for an acute condition, including a surgical procedure, for which a medical professional may generally prescribe opioids for a limited duration.
  • Autism
  • Terminal illness when the patient’s remaining life expectancy is less than 6 months
  • Condition resulting in the individual receiving hospice care
  • Rare condition or disease that affects less than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., as defined in federal law and this is not adequately managed despite treatment attempts using conventional medications (other than opioids or opiates) or physical interventions
  • Pain lasting longer than two weeks that is not adequately managed, in the qualified medical provider’s opinion, despite treatment attempts using conventional medications other than opioids or opiates or physical interventions
  • If a patient does not have a qualifying condition specifically named in the law , they may petition the Compassionate Use Board (CUB) for approval of their medical cannabis card. CUB meetings are closed to the public, applicants, and the patient’s medical providers.

Utah Department of Health & Human Services Resources

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the First Amendment. Established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that found doctors and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options.

 More resources for medical professionals can be found here.