SALT LAKE CITY – Pain left from oil-field work defeated traditional pain pills and dominated William Adams’ life — until he tried medical cannabis.
Similar programs include one in Berkeley, California, for patients making less than $32,000 a year.
In New Mexico, a longstanding proposal to create a “low-income medical patient subsidy fund” to underwrite medical marijuana purchases failed this year as the state legalized recreational pot during a special session.
Emily Kaltenbach, a senior director at the Drug Policy Alliance, said subsidy programs like the one in Utah are critical for low-income patients who have limited options to be able to afford their medicine.
After contacting his cannabis pharmacy about his financial concerns, Adams, 38, became the first person to pilot the coalition’s subsidy program in January.