Utah Marijuana Laws
Updated on Monday May 2, 2022
Marijuana is legal for medical use in Utah. Voters approved Proposition 2 in 2018 to pass the Utah Medical Cannabis Act. However, state lawmakers rejected the bill as voters approved it, and made last-minute amendments before signing it into law. Numerous other changes have been quickly implemented, some correcting the amendments added last minute, and some expanding on them.
The original bill language would have allowed for more dispensary licenses, allowed medical patients to grown their own cannabis, permitted the smoking of marijuana, and allowed for edibles to be made in baked good or candy form (under the amendments which went into law, only gelatinous cubes and capsules are allowed as edibles).
Here is a rundown of Utah’s current cannabis guidelines:
Possession
Utah medical marijuana patients may possess up to one hundred and thirteen (113) grams of unprocessed cannabis (flower); or no more than twenty (20) grams of total composite THC in all other medicinal dosage forms.
Purchasing Limits
Within a 30-day period, cardholders can purchase up to one hundred and thirteen (113) grams of unprocessed cannabis (flower); or no more than twenty (20) grams of total composite THC in all other medicinal dosage forms. Where to Buy
Qualifying Patients
Under the Utah Medical Cannabis Act, these conditions qualify for medical marijuana:
Qualifying Conditions for Medical Cannabis in Utah:
- A condition resulting in the individual receiving hospice care
- A rare condition or disease that affects less than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., as defined in federal law, and that is not adequately managed despite treatment attempts using conventional medications (other than opioids or opiates) or physical interventions
- A terminal illness when the patient’s life expectancy is less than six months
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Autism
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Epilepsy or debilitating seizures
- HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
- Multiple sclerosis or persistent and debilitating muscle spasms
- 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
- Persistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment, except for nausea related to:
- Pregnancy
- Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is being treated and monitored by a licensed health therapist (defined here), and that:
- Has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider by the Veterans Administration and documented in the patient’s record; or
- Has been diagnosed or confirmed by evaluation from a psychiatrist, doctorate psychologist, a doctorate licensed clinical social worker, or a psychiatric APRN
Consumption
Qualified patients are allowed to consume the following cannabis products:
Accepted Consumption Forms:
- Tablet
- Capsule
- Liquid suspension
- Transdermal preparation
- Gelatinous cube
- Unprocessed cannabis flower in a tamper evident and resistant container that is opaque that contains a quantity that varies no more than 10% from the stated weight at the time of packaging.
- Wax or resin
- Medical cannabis device such as a vaping pen that warms cannabis material into a vapor without the use of a flame and that delivers cannabis to an individual’s respiratory system
Smoking of cannabis is not permitted. Edible products such as candies and baked goods are also prohibited. Cannabis can only be consumed in a private residence.
Driving Under the Influence
A person under the influence of any drug to a degree that renders the person incapable of safely operating a vehicle can be found guilty of DUI in Utah. Additionally, a person can be found guilty of a DUI if they have any measurable amount of a metabolite of a controlled substance in their body. Being a medical cannabis patient cannot be used as a defense for being incapable of safely operating a vehicle, however cardholders can defend arrest for having cannabis metabolites in their body.
Caregiver
A cardholder may designate up to two individuals to serve as a designated caregivers. In order to designate caregivers, a qualified medical provider must first determines that, due to physical difficulty or undue hardship, the cardholder needs assistance to obtain the medical cannabis. Caregivers must have a Utah ID in order to access the state’s electronic verification system, and submit to a background check to be eligible.
Transporting Marijuana
Utah medical cannabis patients must transport medical cannabis in its original container with the labels attached. Cannabis can only be legally purchased from state-licensed dispensaries.
Reciprocity
Registered cardholders from other states cannot purchase cannabis from a Utah dispensary. However, a medical cannabis cardholder visiting from another state may use medical cannabis in Utah as long as the patient has one of Utah’s qualifying conditions, and possesses medical cannabis in the state's legal medicinal dosage form and amount.
A new resident with an out-of-state card has the same regulations as a visiting cardholder for forty-five (45) days. After forty-five (45) days, the out-of-state card is no longer valid in Utah and the patient must apply for a Utah medical cannabis patient card with a recommendation from a Utah qualified medical provider.
Cultivation
The state of Utah does not allow medical cannabis patients to cultivate their own marijuana. All cannabis products must be obtained from a state-licensed facility.
Delivery
Medical cannabis delivery is permitted in Utah.
Expert Reviewer
Stephanie Bagnall is a legal research and writing expert who supports nonprofits, law firms and other organizations in a wide variety of industries all over the country. She is also a passionate advocate for civil rights and people with disabilities.