Utah is considered to be the first U.S. state to outlaw marijuana in 1915 after the church missionaries returning from Mexico brought weed with them. Still, that claim is disputed by history scholars, who consider California to be the first to banned cannabis in the Land of the Star and Stripes.
The following passages shall put light on the marijuana and hemp laws of Utah.
Marijuana in Utah
Utah is not a place to parade your weed stash; publicly or otherwise. Possession of up to an ounce will put you in jail for 6-months with a $1,000 fine. Also, even a little more than an ounce of possession will double the time of incarceration, besides a $2,500 fine. Moreover, if intent to trafficking is established, the felon is looking at 5 years behind bars with a $5,000 fine.
Still, the status quo is being challenged regularly. At the 2019 Utah Cannabis Conference, many visited CBD vendor stalls at the Utah State Fairgrounds and discussed the pros and cons of the newly approved medical cannabis program of the Beehive State.
Medical Marijuana
At the nigh end of 2018, Utah voters said YES to Proposition 2; thereby legitimizing the use of medicinal marijuana for qualified individuals. Nonetheless, a specific legislative session was summoned immediately afterward, which substituted Prop 2 with a more compromising bill mutually agreed upon by all the stakeholders.
The bill titled Utah Medical Cannabis Act will become operational in 2020. It will require registered individuals to obtain the medical product from state-licensed cannabis pharmacies. The pharmacies are allowed to dispense weed only in precise dosages based on a particular patient’s prescribed medical needs.
To register as a patient, a Utahn shall be submitting an application to the UDOH – Utah Department of Health – to acquire a registration card; provided he or she is already recommended by an authorized healthcare provider.
The state is expecting a revenue of $17.2 million in medical sales by 2022.
CBD Oil Laws in Utah
The Utah House Bill 105 of 2014 authorized the Department of Agriculture to plant industrial hemp containing 0.3 of 1% THC for research purposes. The bill also included provisions to exempt registered intractable epilepsy patients from getting penalized by the state authorities if their concentrates carry more than 15% CBD.
Conclusion
Possessing up to an ounce of weed in Utah will imprison you for 6-months with a $1,000 fine. If the intent to sell is established, the felon is looking at 5 years behind bars with a $5,000 fine. In 2018, Utahns said YES to Proposition 2; thereby legalizing the use of medicinal pot for qualified individuals.
The bill titled Utah Medical Cannabis Act will become operational in 2020. It will require registered individuals to obtain the medical product from state-licensed cannabis pharmacies. The state is expecting a revenue of $17.2 million in medical sales by 2022. Lastly, the 2014 Utah HB 105 authorized the Department of Agriculture to plant industrial hemp containing 0.3 of 1% THC for research purposes.
