Compassionate Use Board Making Impact in Utah

Compassionate Use Board

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In 2018, Utah passed the “Utah Medical Cannabis Act.” Under the new law, patients who are over the age of 21 and complain of one or more qualifying conditions can apply for a medical cannabis card after meeting with a Qualified Medical Provider (QMP). If a person is under 21 or has a condition not on the qualifying list, he or she has a few more steps to take, including submitting a petition to the Compassionate Use Board (CUB).

Making an Impact in Utah

The CUB has seven qualified medical providers, five of whom serve for four years and two of whom serve for two years. The members are nominated by the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and must be confirmed by the Utah Governor’s Office. In order to find potential nominees, the Utah Department of Health reaches out to state professional associations such as the Utah Medical Association and advocacy groups such as Utah Patient Coalition. Nominees must be medical doctors (MD or DO) with American Board Certification in one of several specialties including internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, oncology or pain medicine. The CUB meets virtually one time per month, depending on availability, to discuss any open requests, but each request can take up to 90 days depending on each individual patient. As of February 2021, 215 petitions have been approved, 39 are still awaiting review due to incomplete forms and only three have been denied. To file a petition with the UDOH, patients under the age of 18 years must have their parent or caregiver’s approval along with a recommendation from a QMP, primary care and/or specialist physician. Patients between the ages of 18 and 21 years can file a petition on their own and submit the required paperwork from their QMP. To some, the mention of medical cannabis for minors may seem drastic, but children and young adults suffering from autism, epilepsy, cancer, and PTSD have most likely been prescribed an array of pharmaceutical medications with known adverse side effects and addictive potential, so why refuse them a more holistic option. For a minor under the age of 18 years holding an approved medical cannabis card, a licensed caregiver can purchase and transport their cannabis products. Patients under the age 18 years are permitted to enter the cannabis pharmacies along with their caregivers, but they are unable to purchase products on their own. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 year holding an approved medical cannabis card can enter a Utah cannabis pharmacy and purchase their own products.

A complete petition includes:

1. CUB petition completed by the patients QMP.

2. A face-to-face detailed evaluation by a QMP.

Office note must include: a. Details of the condition or symptoms for which the medical cannabis will treat. b. History of the standard treatment modalities including the results of the previously tried treatments. c. An evaluation of any current or past cannabis treatment as related to the condition.

3. For PTSD - current office note showing treatment under the care of a licensed mental health provider, and a letter from the mental health provider indicating the diagnosis and that they are aware of the decision to seek medical cannabis.

4. Past medical records.