The Medical Cannabis Program reaches all-time high patient numbers in August

(Taos) – The number of patients in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program reached 30,140 this month, including 975 pending applications, according to a document released by the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Monday at a legislative meeting in Taos.

NMDOH confirmed in a written statement that zero new patient applications or renewals have been denied during fiscal year 2016. There are currently 6,300 patients with Personal Production Licenses (PPLs), and zero PPL applications have been denied.

“We are pleased to confirm that we are above 30,000 patients and to acknowledge the reality that 100 percent of all applications are approved,” said Duke Rodriguez, CEO and President of Ultra Health ® , LLC. “It would be wise to immediately adopt a policy of presumptive eligibility thereby making certain there are no further delays in getting patients their rights to access medical cannabis.”

NMDOH stated that due to an increase in the number of patients in the program, there is an increased demand for medical cannabis in New Mexico.

In the first 50 days of the new fiscal year, the program has already grown by 2,300 patients, and NMDOH expects continued growth in 2017. Nearly 950 new applications are submitted to NMDOH each month.

At an annualized rate, the Medical Cannabis Program is currently growing by more than 80 percent each year. It is estimated that by the end of this fiscal year, the program will grow to 43,400 patients. This number is 2 percent of the New Mexico population. This is comparable to current Colorado and Arizona penetration rates of 2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

“Growth does not occur by chance,” Rodriguez said. “Continued growth will only come from the cannabis industry improving access, affordability and product choice.”