We’ve heard concerns from qualified medical providers (QMPs) about difficulties you may face when submitting petitions to the Compassionate Use Board (CUB). We understand how important the CUB is for helping patients who benefit from medical cannabis but don’t have a qualifying condition or are younger than 21 years.
We are excited to announce that on August 5, 2024, it will be easier for QMPs to submit CUB petitions! We are implementing a new electronic verification system (EVS) in August that includes the ability to submit CUB petitions directly in the EVS instead of through an external REDCAP survey.
Additionally, the new EVS system will automatically ask you to submit a CUB petition if your patient doesn’t have a qualifying condition to use medical cannabis or they’re younger than 21 years.
The CUB petition will ask a few questions about information you already talked about with your patient. The questions verify that:
- The medical condition negatively impacts the patient’s life.
- The medical condition is unmanageable.
- Conventional medications and treatments haven’t helped.
- The patient’s medical team is aware of the petition (they don’t need to support the patient using medical cannabis).
After you answer the questions, you must upload documentation to the petition. Required documentation includes:
- A SOAP note.
- All visit notes from the patient’s medical team about the diagnosis (especially the note that shows the diagnosis). You will need to work with the patient’s medical team to collect the records needed for the petition.
- All lab, imaging, and test results about the diagnosis. These may be in medical records from the patient’s medical team.
After you submit the petition in the EVS, it will be sent to the CUB for review. The CUB reviews new petitions monthly. They weigh each patient’s risks and benefits from using cannabis and decide if the petition should be approved, denied, or if they need more information.
You’ll get an email from the CUB if they need more information. You must send the information within 30 days, but you can ask for an extension if you need more time. If we don’t hear back from you within 30 days, the petition will become inactive and you’ll need to submit a new petition.
The 2 most common reasons that the CUB asks for more information include:
- The diagnosis listed is a symptom instead of a specific medical condition. For example, stomach pain is a symptom while gastroparesis is a diagnosed medical condition.
- The patient hasn’t tried conventional medications or treatments.
Learn more about the CUB at https://medicalcannabis.utah.gov/resources/compassionate-use-board/ or email [email protected].