SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Several county attorneys are pressuring Utah to scrap its plans for a state-run medical marijuana dispensary system, arguing the system would put public employees at risk of being prosecuted under federal drug laws.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill and Davis County District Attorney Troy Rawlings both said Tuesday that current plans to use local health departments as pickup points for medical marijuana would make county employees de-facto drug dealers.
Utah's law currently allows for seven private "cannabis pharmacies" with a state-run "central fill pharmacy" distributing the remainder of medical marijuana orders through each of the state's thirteen local health departments.
State officials said they are aware of prosecutors' concerns and will be meeting later this month to discuss alternatives including replacing the state-run pharmacy with an eighth privately-owned pharmacy.