If someone were to ask you to name the most popular method of consuming medical cannabis, what would your response be? I am guessing a lot of people would say smoking marijuana. Perhaps that’s true in most states with medical cannabis programs. It is not the case in Utah, where cannabis vapes are king.
Data from a recently published Forbes piece indicate that 47% of all medical cannabis products sold in the Beehive State are vape products. About 32% of the sales are attributed to flower (raw plant material). The remaining 11% are scattered across topical applications, edibles, tinctures, and oils.
The big question is why vapes are so popular in Utah. It can probably be attributed to three things, according to the operators of Salt Lake City’s Beehive Farmacy.
1. Smoking Marijuana Is Illegal
At the top of the list is the fact that state regulations ban smoking medical cannabis. It is simply illegal to light up a marijuana joint in the Beehive State. Given Utah’s reputation as a deeply red state with highly conservative views, it is possible that the majority of medical cannabis users just want to remain above the law.
This is not to say that Utah doesn’t have its own black market. It does. But among those patients with valid medical cannabis cards, it could be that their allegiance to the law steers them to vapes rather than flower.
For the record, Forbes points out the fact that the ban against smoking is largely unenforceable. People can still purchase flower for two reasons: to use in their recipes at home and to consume medically through a specialized dry heating device. It’s been said that dry heating is not as attractive as smoking or vaping, so perhaps some patients are purchasing flower to smoke.
2. Vapes Can Be More Highly Concentrated
Another possibility is the fact that vapes can be more highly concentrated than plant material. Growers are somewhat limited in the amount of THC they can pack into a plant. And although the amounts are growing, processors can still pack more THC into a single vape.
Given the choice between more powerful vapes and less potent flower, it would seem reasonable that most patients would go with the vapes. Along with higher potency, patients also get more consistency. Someone who is truly trying to medicate would want both.
3. All Medical Cannabis Products Are Tracked
Finally, all medical cannabis products in the state are tracked. From the time plants go into the ground until a patient purchases a product at a medical cannabis pharmacy, the state keeps an eye on things through its tracking system. It’s a sophisticated system that ensures the state always knows what is going on.
It could be that some patients stay away from flower because they do not want to be inadvertently targeted as someone who might be smoking marijuana. It is a privacy thing. Not that anybody would come knocking on the door to find out how flower is being used but just knowing that the state knows could be enough to deter people from purchasing flower.
Of course, all of this is little more than speculation. The Forbes piece also speculates that higher vape numbers could be the result of the fact that state pharmacies cannot sell pre-rolls.
Whatever the reason, vapes are king in Utah’s medical cannabis market. Nearly half of all medical cannabis sales involve vape products. That’s a pretty good number considering that smoking is a preferred method of consuming marijuana when you combine both recreational and medical consumption. Utah medical cannabis users are opting to vape instead.