‘Twas a solid 12 years since meeting up with my ol’ buddy, M.W. After a few formalities were exchanged on LinkedIn, we decided that a rendezvous in late July around the proverbial “Crossroads of the West'' was long overdue. Whilst getting my regular items in order, you know, like a plane ticket on Spirit airlines - a blazing deal round trip from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City for $40 - lodging digs, and a generally constructed reunion; I began to ponder over the new Medical Marijuana laws in Utah. On November 6, 2018, Utah legalized medical marijuana and, nowadays, for holders of a license from some states, reciprocity would honor my Nevada card. 

Being a service-disabled veteran from the Iraq war, I have generally tried alternative forms of therapy for injuries related to physical and mental impairments left as hallmark scars. Particularly, I have held a medical marijuana license for over 13 years in four states - Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Utah - and am a legitimate multi-state cultivator of dozens of strains. I’ve successfully grown varieties from Blue Dream, Golden Goat, OG Kush, and Pineapple Express, to White Widow and beyond. For almost every homegrown strain, dialing in the specific balance supersedes the relief given from pharmaceuticals (including the pills prescribed via Veterans Affairs) due to cannabis’ lack of negative side effects.  

Beginning my journalistic odyssey with some research, I found Utah Medical Cannabis Statute 58-37-3.9. Exemption for possession or use of cannabis to treat a qualifying illness. It is obviously pretty radical and wonderful that another front range state has given way to the voice and power of the people to grant more healthcare options. With all of the medical states, an individual actually has to acquire the license, requiring a mandatory visit with a medical doctor (M.D. or D.N.P.). Afterward, a paper license is issued while the permanent card is mailed. Prior to recreational legalization in some closely connected states like Nevada and California, certain entertainment companies set up buses where the patients met with their doctor for consultation and gained their temp card en route to Sin City for a weekend of debauchery. 

Utah had a few years to advance in their progression toward full recreational usage. Yet, there is a clever reciprocity clause which allows granting of Utah medical cannabis cards for non-Utah residents. As is stated in the website’s guide, visitors to the state of Utah who are medical cannabis card holders in their home state can apply for a temporary card that allows access to Utah Medical Cannabis pharmacies while they are visiting Utah. The cards are good for 21 days at a time, and patients may be issued two 21-day cards per calendar year. 

Applying for the UT MMJ reciprocity card was smooth and way better than anticipated, only due to the nature of typical government bureaucracies. Essentially, I uploaded a scan of my Nevada MMJ card and was approved by email within a period of time that was synchronized for my vacation. Thus starts the visit to M.W., the elusive friend I hadn’t seen for many moons.

Due to the top-secret nature of M.W. 's history, I can’t go into the details too much about how I know this person - even writing what I did might be too much. But let’s just say, they are the agent with all the information. So, M.W. constructed a grand plan to reconnect the day after I landed, which was perfect for an outing to report on the current state of affairs in at least two cities. It seemed I was set to spend about 48 hours in Utah, licensed by the state to get sedated.

Touching down on the hot pavement, I landed in Salt Lake like a piece of bacon in the frying pan of discovery. On the hottest day of the year that July, expected to reach 100 degrees, I walked out to the city tram without much pedestrian foot traffic density. After spending a couple of frantic moments attempting to use one broken ticket machine, I eventually grabbed a seat in the fairly open train car toward the front. Thankfully the air conditioning was fully primed and pumping.

The zealous morning sun basked in through huge open windows as I gazed north and south at the endless open landscapes and rockiness surrounding downtown. A friendly robot voice notification announced connections to lines heading all the way to Provo, which sounded far and like a huge improvement from the days of transportation yore. For whatever reason, I always sit facing backwards on trains. Juxtaposing looking back as I’m traveling forward somehow allows my mind's eye to see from a different reflective perspective.

Our green line train jumps off from the airport. Not less than two to three stops away, the scene looks a little hostile as the SLCPD has a vagrant shirtless man in handcuffs at McDonald’s. Small encampments and ruffians loitering around the train tracks and streets just outside the station seem to become more compressed as the tram bends around the various corners.

Twisting and turning into the heart of the city, the train straightens out on the main drag. With the impressive architecture and historic landmarks rising up into the sky higher than visible through the glass, a feeling of deja vu swept over me as the background summoned an eerily reminiscent childhood memory of growing up in my hometown of Denver, Colorado. 

About 30 minutes of tramming later, I hop off at the Courthouse stop as per the directions of my GPS. What are the odds? Maybe it’s a bit serendipitous as I’m set to complete my first degree in law the following month. Massive glistening opal buildings and gleaming bronze statues dedicated to fallen local heroes funnel east into a more ominous part of town. Heading further south onto Main Street proper, I inch closer toward my dispensary of decision.

Downtown Salt Lake City, at 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, even with a few hooligans hanging about or pacing circles in various areas, didn’t feel unsafe. Nor did it seem to for the dozens of other people traveling around, like singles or groups of younger and older folks alike. Overall, the demographic was pretty even for sister cities growing in the front range. Digressing mentally, as I’m walking several blocks south to Dragonfly Wellness, I noticed the dichotomy of a chained off hovel in a semi-developed block.

My store of propriety, UT’s first cannabis pharmacy just happened to be in the locale I was staying in. Since I did not rent a car, the walkability made basing my stay out of downtown versus other areas like Homestead or Park City more convenient. Several scooters and rent-a-bikes were available at various stands throughout the metro area. Check-in at Dragonfly Wellness was super easy, even with my printout reciprocity card. Only one peculiar requirement remained, meeting with a pharmacist, to discuss what type of medicinal products would work best. 

The doctor, a PharmD, was a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed woman in her mid-thirties with a warm smile, energetic personality, and a large amount of information on medical marijuana prescriptions. She actually interviewed me in her separate office within the dispensary, writing me a doctor’s note. We went on to talk about the various laws, like in Utah there is no consumption such as vaping in public, which is pretty standard, but a new rule I’ve never heard before is no fire to flower. Meaning that even in your own home, a person is not allowed to burn cannabis to smoke, as traditionally consumed. 

However, vaporization of flowers is allowable. Contrastingly, in states such as New York, marijuana can be consumed anywhere that cigarettes are smokeable. The PharmD mentioned that because SLC is a very conservative area, the legislation has been passed based on the local rules and culture. Holistic qualities of the wellness center pharmacy pervasively resonated. 

Empathetically, there was a Last Prisoner Project program running to help exonerate the incarcerated who were charged with non-violent MMJ crimes. In this sense, the medical marijuana program in Utah seems much more compassionate than recreational only, or the pseudo-medical jurisdictions extracting high taxes. After grabbing my reasonably priced medicine, a Grape Goji vape pen and some 1:1 cbd:thc edibles, I was off to wander about the proximity for the rest of the afternoon. The plot inevitably thickens with M.W. the next morning.  

Check back tomorrow to read Part II: Good Morning Salt Lake City and Donut Falls!