Cannabis Research Review Board

Meeting Agendas and Minutes Information: See the Utah Public Notice Website. Search Categories: Government: State Entity: Department of Health Body: Cannabis Research Review Board.

Meeting Recordings: See the CRRB YouTube Page.

General Information

The Cannabis Research Review Board (CRRB) is the result of the Cannabinoid Research Act, (H.B. 130) that was passed and was signed into law during the 2017 Utah General Legislative Session. During the 2018 Utah General Legislative Session, amendments (H.B. 25) were made to Cannabinoid Research Act as follows:

The composition of the CRRB was modified from three board members being members of the Controlled Substance Advisory Committee to one; and The duties of the CRRB were broadened to include review of research regarding "expanded cannabinoid products" which includes cannabinoid products with significant tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content.

The Cannabinoid Research Act directs DHHS to form and facilitate the CRRB. As stated in the legislation, the purpose of the CRRB is to review available research related to the human use of cannabinoid products. Specifically, the CRRB evaluates the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid products and expanded cannabinoid products in terms of:

  • medical conditions that respond to cannabinoid products;
  • dosage amounts and their medical forms; and
  • interactions between cannabinoid products, expanded cannabinoid products, and other treatments.

The CRRB may only review research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board, or approved/conducted by the federal government.

From this research, the CRRB is directed to develop prescribing guidelines that may potentially be used by qualified medical providers recommending cannabinoid products to their patients. The CRRB is directed to report the findings of their evaluation in writing to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee before November 1st of each year.

Board Meeting Public Comment Process

Per section 4 of the CRRB Bylaws: All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public in accordance with regulations of the Open and Public Meetings Act. Closed meetings may be held in accordance with UCA §52-4-205.

a) Notice of all meetings shall be posted on the Public Meeting Notice website.

b) Members of the general public may comment or give testimony with the following limitations:

1) Prior to their statements, each person testifying must fully disclose COI, including any association or financial relationship with a grower, processor, manufacturer, marketer, or seller of hemp, cannabis, or cannabinoid/extended cannabinoid or synthesized cannabinoid products, or an organization that lobbies for or on behalf of such.

2) Only one person from an organization may testify.

3) Comments are limited to meeting agenda items. Unsolicited testimony is limited to two (2) minutes

Board Members

Michael Moss, M.D. (Chair)
Medical Director, Utah Poison Control, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah

Matthew S. McIff, M.D.
Family Medicine Physician

Misty D. Smith, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah

Russell H. Cashin, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Mohave Community College, Medical Cannabis Instructor, Utah Tech University

Melissa M. Chan, M.D.
Family Medicine Physician, Founder of Lotus Health

A. Taylor Kelley, M.D., MPH, MSc
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah

Physician QMP, CSAC member, vacant

Submit a Research Study for Review

The Cannabis Research Review Board (CRRB) and the Center for Medical Cannabis at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) seek to create an inclusive medical cannabis program and an educated community by continuing to consider studies submitted by the industry and the public.

To this end, the DHHS and CRRB invite you and other stakeholders in the medical cannabis community to submit studies for review and consideration. The industry and public are welcome to submit studies published inside and outside the United States for review by the DHHS and CRRB. The DHHS will evaluate the validity of the scientific findings of each study submitted based on the rigor of the study design, the risk of bias, and relevance.

To submit a study for DHHS and CRRB review, please upload it to this form; the DHHS staff will access it there. If the study has been found to meet the scientific rigor required by state statute, it will be shared with the Board.

The information provided in the following documents is intended to help patients in Utah and Utah healthcare professionals make well-informed decisions to improve the quality of healthcare outcomes in patients treated with medical cannabis through the Utah Medical Cannabis Program. Medical cannabis treatment is at one's own risk, and medical cannabis is not considered first-line therapy for most medical conditions. DHHS and the Center for Medical Cannabis highly advise that patients consult with their physician on using medical cannabis as a medical treatment. Documents provided on this website discuss warnings and risks related to the consumption of cannabis. As such, patrons using these documents are advised to use documents listed here as informational and educational only. We advise that patrons who are minors using medical cannabis also understand and refer to official policy statements and positions posted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (2004 Policy and an updated 2015 Policy).