Utah GOP Senator Defends Modified Cannabis Bill for Creating 'More Guardrails'
*By Chloe Aiello*
Medical marijuana is now legal in Utah, but not exactly in the form voters intended. Shortly after the medical marijuana initiative, Proposition 2, was scheduled to go into effect, the Utah state House and Senate swooped in and replaced it with a new law.
Wayne Niederhauser, a Republican senator for Utah's 9th district, defended the move on Wednesday, and told Cheddar the new law, "The Utah Medical Cannabis Act," ensures "medical marijuana and not de-facto recreational" is the law of the Beehive State.
"We wanted to create some more guardrails. We want to get medical marijuana to everyone that needs it, but we also have 600,000 plus children in this state, and we want to make sure those children are protected as much as possible from getting a controlled substance," Niederhauser said.
"The Utah Medical Cannabis Act" that Gov. Gary Herbert signed into law on Monday differs in some significant ways from Proposition 2. The bill reduces the permitted number of privately-run dispensaries for the state, Niederhauser said ー supplementing them instead with state-run distribution through health departments. Cannabis "flower" is still allowed, but only in one-gram increments, and edibles are mostly illegal, except for gummy cubes, according to the [Salt Lake Tribune](https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/12/03/utah-house-passes-medical/). It also tweaks the list of conditions that qualify for treatment.
Niederhauser said, "there's really not a lot of difference," between Prop 2 and the new bill, but cannabis advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project disagreed.
“This bill is undoubtedly inferior to the law enacted by voters in November. However, Proposition 2 would very likely have been defeated without the compromise deal, which prevented an onslaught of opposition spending. Advocates made the responsible decision to negotiate with opponents and ensure that patients were not left without any access to medical cannabis," MPP's Matthew Schweich [said in a statement](https://www.mpp.org/news/press/utah-legislature-passes-compromise-medical-marijuana-law/) after the new bill passed.
"The Utah Medical Cannabis Act" was a collaboration between lawmakers and medical marijuana proponents that "came to fruition" about 45 days before the midterms, Niederhauser said, adding that whether or not Prop 2 passed, the medical law would have been enacted. The new program is expected to be running by 2020.
As to whether the new law will lead to recreational legalization, Niederhauser said he hopes not.
"As far as I'm concerned, I hope we never even get close to recreational use," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/recreational-marijuana-shouldnt-be-legal-in-utah-according-to-state-senate-president).
The telecom giant AT&T is looking to make online learning more fun for students by engaging them with content from its partners at Warner Bros. Discovery. Mylayna Albright, the assistant vice president of corporate social responsibility for AT&T, joined Cheddar to discuss how the company came about with the free digital e-learning program that it's calling The Achievery. "We knew that once students went home as a result of the pandemic, it was very difficult for them, and we knew from research, specifically through Morning Consult, that parents and teachers realized that probably 80 percent of students felt that they would be more engaged if they had a more entertaining approach," she said.
Sourceful is an all-in-one platform for sourcing sustainable materials. The startup recently raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Index Ventures. Through its platform, Sourceful helps businesses find and design more eco-friendly packaging and reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chains. Wing Chan, Co-Founder and CEO of Sourceful, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
If you did not attend Coachella and spent the weekend scrolling through Tiktok or Instagram, you probably saw a lot influencers comparing Revolve Festival to Fyre Fest.
Content creator Lars Gummer joins Cheddar News to discuss his experience at the festival.
Arthur Madrid, CEO of The Sandbox, and Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA, join Cheddar News to discuss their partnership focused around fashion in the metaverse.
Actor Niecy Nash’s guest character Simone Clark on ABC’s "The Rookie" is getting a spinoff series of her own after a backdoor pilot arc on the hit cop show. Nash joined Cheddar News to discuss the developments for her character, who will be the oldest rookie in the FBI. "I just think her journey in the world is what's going to be delicious, watching her navigate this new career field, watching her unpack her complicated relationship with her father," she said. Nash also talked about the legacy of her other cop show, "Reno 911," which she called a "culty phenomenon."
Ever walk into a CVS to pick up some gum, maybe some Chapstick, only to get hit with a ridiculously long receipt? It’s no secret that most CVS purchases come with these comically long receipts. But what might surprise you is that these long receipts are part of a marketing plan that's paying off big time for CVS.
