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UDAF asks legislature to clarify rulemaking authority after HB54 removal; working group backs letter to licensing board
Summary
Department of Agriculture and Food officials told the working group May 20 that recent statutory edits introduced ambiguity about geographical licensing regions and asked the Legislature to clarify UDAF’s authority.
Officials from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food told the Medical Cannabis Governing Structure Working Group on May 20 that rulemaking authority has worked but that recent statutory edits created ambiguity the department would like the Legislature to resolve.
The issue matters because HB 54 (2025) struck statutory language that had directed UDAF to divide the state into geographic regions for issuing medical cannabis licenses; UDAF says the statutory removal left conflicting references in code and weakens the department’s explicit authorization to maintain those regions in rule.
"We're actually comfortable exercising whatever level of discretion the legislature and the governor feel is appropriate," said Dr. Brandon Forsyth, director of the medical cannabis program at the Department of…
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