David Cromar says while living in St. George, it was difficult to find clinical specialists in general, let alone ones who were open to the medical cannabis treatments that control his son’s seizures.
When speaking about medicinal marijuana, “the reaction we would get from the pediatrician was kind of an eye roll,” he recalls, adding that his family would drive several hours to Provo to seek medical care for his son.
Utah’s shortage of physicians and the reluctance of some doctors to explore cannabis treatments has caused some anxiety to patient advocates as the state works toward establishing a marijuana program. But further heightening this concern, the bill lawmakers will consider in Monday’s special session would exclude hundreds of medical providers—nurse practitioners and physician assistants—from the ability to recommend cannabis to patients.
