Utah appoints Medical Cannabis Policy Advisory Board

Tracy Gruber, executive director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), announced the appointment of nine board members to the recently formed Medical Cannabis Policy Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board will provide policy change recommendations to DHHS, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), and state legislatures.

“The Medical Cannabis Policy Advisory Board will be an asset to the patients, medical providers, and the businesses participating in the state’s medical cannabis program as it makes policy-changing recommendations to state legislators and regulators,” Gruber said. “I appreciate the board members’ willingness to serve on this important advisory board.”

The Medical Cannabis Policy Advisory Board was established during the 2023 general legislature after House Bill 72 Medical Cannabis Governance Revisions was approved.

Six of the nine board members were appointed by DHHS executive director Tracy Gruber and the remaining three were appointed by Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Commissioner Craig Buttars.

Below is the list of board members. (In Utah, a qualified medical provider [QMP] is a doctor who makes recommendations.)

Susan Jackson, MPAS, PA-C – a physician assistant and QMP who has been a participant in the state’s medical cannabis program since April 2020. As a Medical Provider at Quintessence Health & Wellness, she assisted patients with medical management for pain, hormone replacement, mental health treatment, weight loss, and aesthetics.

Misty Smith, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. She has been a member of the Cannabis Research Review Board (CRRB) since May 2021, has over 20 years of experience as a basic researcher in behavioral pharmacology and holds DEA Schedule I & II-V Controlled Substances Licenses and Schedule I Import Licenses. / Export licenses for an Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) control site.

Annalize Keen, MD, is a psychiatrist, QMP as of May 2021, and a Compassionate Use Board (CUB) member as of May 2021. dr Keen is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Utah Psychiatry, Division of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry, conducting assessment and management of child and adolescent patients, and other responsibilities.

Desiree Hennessy is Director of the Utah Patients Coalition (UPC) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering patients to make informed health decisions by advocating legal access to herbal medicine in Utah.

Nanette Bereznhyy is a medical cannabis patient and mother and represents medical cannabis guardians of children addicted to cannabis.

Kent Andersen is Davis County Director of Community and Economic Development and oversees the county’s operations.

Matthew Page is the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Riverside Farms, a licensed cannabis grower and processor. Matthew helped create products that were available to patients in March 2020 at the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary.

JD Lauritzen, also known as “Leafy Lawyer”, is an attorney at WholesomeCo, a medicinal cannabis dispensary. He has expertise in operating medical cannabis dispensaries – particularly vertically integrated medical cannabis dispensaries. WholesomeCo is a vertically integrated cannabis company in the state as it also has a cannabis cultivation and processing license.

Jimmy Higgs is a State Trooper and Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS). With more than 24 years of public safety experience, Deputy Commissioner Higgs has served in a variety of roles, including officer with the Utah Highway Patrol, chief police officer, and chief officer of the Commissioner of Public Safety. He directs three divisions at DPS: the State Bureau of Investigations, the State Information and Analysis Center, and the State Crime Lab.

To learn more, visit the Utah DHHS website.