Utah Seeks to Ban Synthetic Cannabinoids In Medical Cannabis Products

Utah’s Department of Agriculture & Food, which oversees the state’s medical cannabis program, is asking state lawmakers to ban synthetic cannabinoids from products sold in Utah’s regulated medical cannabis market, FOX 13 reports.

The request follows anecdotal reports of some patients experiencing reactions to products containing synthetic cannabinoids. Medical cannabis supporter Christine Stenquist, the founder of Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education (TRUCE), told FOX 13 that patients deserve to know what’s in the products they are using and whether they are “safe for human consumption,” but there’s just “not enough evidence.”

The Legislature could initiate the ban as early as January, which marks the launch of Utah‘s next legislative session, and the proposal is not expected to face much resistance from lawmakers, according to the report.

Dr. Brandon Forsyth, who heads the Department of Agriculture & Food’s medical cannabis program, said in the report that synthetic cannabinoids are typically common wherever cannabis extracts are being processed.

“We ultimately decided to push forward legislation to just limit [synthetic cannabinoids’] presence since nobody really wanted them there anyway.” — Dr. Forsyth, via FOX 13

While Utah grapples with whether to allow synthetic cannabinoids in the state’s regulated cannabis market, a Project CBD report published earlier this year detailed the creation of synthetic cannabinoids using an organic chemistry process called chirality, “which is rooted in simple elements of geometry,” and discusses its undiscovered possibilities and potential pitfalls.