Utah officials have selected eight companies to grow the state’s first legal cannabis crop, a critical step in launching a newly approved medical marijuana program by next year.
Half of the awardees have existing businesses inside the state, while the other half are based out-of-state but have “Utah ties,” according to a Friday morning news release from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
The agency was authorized by law to award up to 10 licenses but chose to hand out only eight to avoid an oversupply of cannabis as the state’s medical marijuana ramps up, the statement said.