State Regulations
Is Recreational Cannabis Legal in Utah
Medical cannabis is legal in Utah. However, recreational cannabis is illegal. The Utah House of Representatives in February 2018 passed HB 195 which is a bill legalizing the “right to try” and grow medical cannabis plants for use by terminally ill patients. On March 7, this bill was passed “easily” by the state senate, culminating in the governor signing it into law on March 21, 2018.
The Utah Medical Cannabis Act was then passed as “ballot Proposition 2” on November 6, 2018, and on December 3, 2018, HB3001 was passed by the legislature amending the Utah Medical Cannabis Act to reflect what was passed in Proposition 2. HB3001 was signed by the governor on that same day immediately effecting it into law.
The UMCA (Utah Medical Cannabis Act) lists the qualifying conditions and circumstances which qualify patients for Medical Marijuana Cards after a licensed Qualifying Medical Provider (QMP) has been approved. Below are some of these qualifying conditions for the state of Utah, listed from the most to the least common, as per data garnered from the Utah Department of Health:
- Chronic Pain
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Persistent Nausea
- Terminal Illness including Conditions that Require Hospice Care
- Cancer
- Crohn’s Disease as well as Ulcerative Colitis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
- Autism
- Muscle Spasms
- HIV/AIDS
People suffering from extremely rare diseases that have limited treatment options may also qualify as Medical Marijuana patients by petitioning Utah’s Compassionate Use Board. Some of these conditions include:
- Cachexia
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
- Alzheimer’s Disease
Recreational marijuana is a misdemeanor in Utah punishable by a month prison sentence or no more than a $1,000 fine for possession of a maximum of 1 oz. (or 28 g). Any amount 10 oz. and above will attract a $10,000 fine while selling it is considered a felony punishable by 5 years imprisonment or $5,000 fine.
