In a rare statement supporting medical marijuana, Mormon church leaders said that they would accept and even support a current measure for medical marijuana, but with the caveats that it be prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacy. Unfortunately, as cannabis is illegal at the federal level, neither of those things can happen.
Doctors can recommend cannabis and dispensaries then supply the medicine, but the verbal support is still a pleasant surprise for the measure’s authors. Proposition 2 is the medical marijuana measure in question. Though the specifics of what Mormons, who make up a majority of the state’s population, want from a measure is a little hazy, this new support could be enough to sway voters in the greener direction.
There’s even some excitement in the Mormon community leadership. Jack Gerard is a prominent figure in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had this to say, “This isn’t ‘let’s wait till next year to have a conversation.’ It needs to be dealt with soon. There’s an urgency to accomplish this.”
Cannabis is now medicalized in the majority of U.S. states and continues to grow as an industry, both medicinally and recreationally. Proposition 2 would allow for people with certain medical conditions to obtain medical marijuana cards and use the plant in the form of edibles, lotions or vaporizer pens.
There’s another ballot measure in Utah to legalize outright, and while cannabis proponents remain fairly optimistic, the outright disdain the Mormon church has for across the board adult use cannabis is well known in that community, which makes up an enormous part of the voting block.
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Medical marijuana in Utah would be a leap in the right direction for marijuana reformers, as Utah has long been considered one of the most unlikely states to accept cannabis as a medicine. These new steps forward are as surprising as they are refreshing to the cannabis community as a whole.
To support medical marijuana and not adult-use marijuana is still support, and at the very least a much better stance than not supporting usage at all. There are tens of thousands, if not more, patients in Utah who are in need of medical cannabis and with the voice of agreement from the Mormon church, they may gain access to natural cannabis medicine come November.
