SALT LAKE CITY — Officials and local businesses feel optimistic for future after President Trump signed an executive order to expedite marijuana reclassification.
The executive order to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III narcotic, making it the biggest federal policy change regarding cannabis in decades.
For Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, it was a move better late than never.
“Think about marijuana as a schedule one drug and think about fentanyl as a schedule two, in spite of all the loss of life that we’ve had," he said.
For decades, marijuana had been lumped in with heavy drugs like LSD and heroin.
That made it impossible for scientists to do legal research in the US.
The reclassification will change that.
But Sim Gill says it will not change pot’s criminal classification in Utah.
“A simple possession of marijuana still is a class B misdemeanor and it will remain that way until we get direction from our legislators to do otherwise.”
But to Midvale farmer and herbal medicine store owner Steve Murdock, those effects on the hemp industry are less certain.
“We have no idea," he said.
Murdock opened his business 6 years ago and has had a strong customer base.
Their products are completely legal and extremely low in THC. They’re designed to help with sleep, pain and anxiety.
Murdock is excited that the executive order will allow more cannabis research, but he has some concerns.
“We don’t know how it’s going to affect the hemp industry as opposed to the cannabis industry, but we’re encouraged by it because it allows people to be educated about our product," he said.
Scott Ericson is CEO of Standard Wellness and The Forest cannabis dispensary in Murray.
“It’s a great step for patients all over the country, it’s a great step for research and a great way to consider cannabis as a medicine.”
For Ericson, getting into the medical marijuana business was personal after his wife contracted terminal cancer six years ago.
“It metastasized in her bones and cannabis is one of the things, along with her chemotherapy at Huntsman that keeps her thriving and taking care of five kids," said Ericson. "So it’s a passion project.”
His products have higher levels of THC and they require a medical referral card.
Ericson says the majority of his customers are law-abiding citizens, but people looking for relief from pain, sleep disorders or things like PTSD.
"It legitimizes medicine that the Utah Legislature saw five years ago was something that was beneficial to patients and over 100,000 patients are using on a daily basis," said Ericson.
Ericson said dispensaries still can’t take credit cards and some banks, depending on who they are, won’t let you use their debit card.
