The state of Utah is now advertising for someone to oversee all things marijuana.

The Mormon Church is currently opposing a ballot initiative in Utah that would legalize medical marijuana due to moral reasons. But it turns out they may have a financial reason for preventing the expansion of medicinal cannabis as well, writes Joseph Misulonas. 

A pair of advocacy groups in Utah sued Thursday to block a compromise agreement legalizing medical marijuana, accusing the LDS Church of unconstitutional domination and interference involving a process that lead to the gutting of a measure approved by voters.

The lawsuit alleges the revised initiative creates overwhelming obstacles for suffering patients who want to obtain the drug. It also asks a judge to set aside the revision passed by lawmakers and keep the original version that won with 53 percent of the vote in November.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints didn’t immediately have comment.

Utah now has a brand spanking new medical marijuana program, but it has nothing to do with the will of the people. Although the voters overwhelmingly approved a proposal in the midterm election designed to legalize medical marijuana statewide, the state legislature, in cahoots with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints and Governor Gary Herbert, passed an updated version of the law in a special session this week that is being called a “compromise” to the original measure.​

But the voters saw this coming.

Utah’s medical marijuana compromise breezed through the state legislature on Monday, making key changes to Proposition 2, which was passed by voters less than a month ago.

Governor Gary Herbert signed the nearly-200-page bill into law just after 8 p.m. on Monday.

"Utah now has the best-designed medical cannabis program in the country," Herbert said of the bill's passage.

“This is not an easy issue,“ said Greg Hughes, Speaker of the Utah House and sponsor of the compromise that puts the state in charge of overseeing cultivation, manufacturing, processing and distribution of medical cannabis products.

The compromise medical marijuana bill intended to supersede Proposition 2 early next month was updated for a second time Wednesday.

The bill now permits the state to license up to seven medical marijuana pharmacies, rather than five as previously proposed in the compromise. It also increases the number of such licenses which may be granted in the event that a state-run central fill pharmacy is not operational by Jan. 1, 2021, upping that number to 10.

The bill now also removes a restriction on landlords prohibiting them from refusing to rent to a person solely because they have a medical cannabis card, or penalizing them in some other way on that basis.

On Utah's Capitol Hill, lawmakers are finalizing a bill that would replace Proposition 2, the medical marijuana ballot initiative approved by voters last week.

Thursday morning, Fox 13 News learned TRUCE and others have retained attorney Rocky Anderson and are threatening a lawsuit over the involvement The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had with the Utah Legislature regarding that bill. 

Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis (D) shared a video of himself trying marijuana for the first time ahead of a vote on legalizing medical cannabis in the state. Dabakis said he drove to Las Vegas, where the drug is legal, and consumed an edible gummy bear from a dispensary, which he described as “a little bit bitter” but “nothing to get worked up about.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it as sheer candy,” the Salt Lake City lawmaker said in the video, posted to Facebook and first highlighted by local CBS affiliate KUTV. Dabakis said that he thought it was important for lawmakers to try marijuana before they “change all the laws.”