The Utah Department of Health announced Jan. 3 the 10 companies that will ultimately be licensed to sell medical cannabis at 14 locations across the state beginning in March.
The following companies have received approval:
- Beehive’s Own (two licenses in Salt Lake City and Box Elder)
- Bloom Medicinals, Cedar City
- Columbia Care, Springville
- Curaleaf, Lindon
- Deseret Wellness (two licenses in Park City and Provo)
- Justice Grown Utah (two licenses in Salt Lake City)
- Pure UT, Vernal
- Dragonfly Wellness, Salt Lake City
- True North of Utah (two licenses in Logan and Ogden)
- Wholesome Therapy, West Bountiful
Dragonfly Wellness, True North of Utah and Wholesome Therapy also have cultivation licenses, according to a KSL.com report.
The pharmacy licenses were divided among four geographic regions, according to the news outlet, and will open in two phases—eight pharmacies will open in March, while the other six will be permitted to open in July.
The state received 130 applications from 60 different companies, KSL.com reported.
Before the state officially grants the selected pharmacies their licenses, individuals with a financial interest in the companies must pass a background check, and each business must submit an operating plan to the state as well as receive local approvals for their proposed locations, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Utah voters approved Proposition 2 to legalize medical cannabis in November 2018, and lawmakers approved amendments to the law during a special session of the state legislature in a move that eliminated a requirement for state-run dispensaries and increased the total number of private pharmacy licenses. Gov. Gary Herbert signed the revised medical cannabis law in September.
The state awarded eight cultivation licenses in July, and has faced pushback for issuing less than the 10 licenses allowed by law.
