Utah has some of the most Strict Cannabis Laws. No surprises there. But have you ever wondered why medical cannabis is regulated in the way that it is? There are numerous reasons, but safety tends to be at the top of the list. Patient safety is one of the big motivations behind strict regulation.
Medical cannabis is no different than a traditional prescription medication in terms of its purpose. People consume it in order to get relief from the symptoms of their qualifying conditions. But here is the thing: they need to be able to do so in a safe way. Enter regulation.
When you buy medical cannabis products at Beehive Farmacy, you know you are getting medicines that meet the highest possible safety standards. You know that all the plants that went into making your medicine were grown here in the Beehive State. You know that plants and the finished product were both tested prior to sale. In essence, you know you can use your medicine safely.
You Never Know with the Illicit Market
Illicit marijuana entrepreneurs are active across the country. We know that. We also know that people sometimes prefer to purchase black-market cannabis rather than going through legal channels. But there are dangers in doing so. Right off the top, you never know what you are getting with the illicit market.
A recent study out of Canada shows just how risky the illicit market is. Researchers purchased three dozen samples from licensed cannabis dispensaries in Canada. They also obtained 24 illicit samples that had previously been seized by authorities. They tested all 50 samples for the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals.
Shockingly, 92% of the illicit samples were contaminated with pesticides. Not only that, 23 unique active pesticide ingredients were identified – in just 24 samples! Anyone who used cannabis sold by the sources of those samples could have potentially been exposed to the same pesticides.
Cannabis Can Be Safe
There are legitimate concerns about completely removing the shackles that now constrain the cannabis market and letting entrepreneurs do as they please. One of those concerns is obviously safety. People worried that cannabis can be unsafe to use make a good case. Yet at the same time, cannabis can be just as safe as any prescription medication when properly regulated.
That is exactly why Utah regulates medical cannabis the way we do. Cultivators must follow a strict set of rules to ensure that the plants they produce are both safe and effective. Processors have their own safety rules to operate under. By the time products reach pharmacy shelves, they have been tested enough to prove they are safe.
Better Quality As Well
It is our position that medical cannabis purchased from a licensed pharmacy offers better quality as well. Our products begin as plants grown by licensed cultivators who care about what they produce. The plants are processed by companies doing everything they can to produce the highest quality cannabis medicines. And of course, we want to stock only high-quality products we know our customers will appreciate.
At times it can seem like Utah’s medical cannabis regulations are overly strict. Maybe they are to some degree. But in the end, the whole point of regulation is to guarantee that patients have access to safe and effective medicines they can afford.
Sure, our regulations are not perfect. But they have come a long way in a few short years since Utah approved medical cannabis. Is there any way to quantify just how safe patients are because of the regulations?
