Patient enrollment sees biggest reported month to month jump in program history

(Albuquerque) – The Medical Cannabis Program’s patient enrollment reached 40,432 patients as of April 30, 2017, an increase of more than 5,500 patients since March according to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). The program is on track to enroll nearly 60,000 patients by the end of 2017.

March to April was the biggest month to month increase the program has seen since its inception in 2007. The number of patients enrolled in the program has increased by 84 percent since March 31, 2016 (NMDOH did not issue a patient statistics report for the month of April 2016). First quarter revenues in 2017 reached $19 million, with year-end revenues expected to reach $83.5 million.

“The Medical Cannabis Program has indefinitely hit a remarkable milestone in surpassing 40,000 patients, yet there continues to be an issue with ensuring these patients’ safe access to medicine and particularly in rural locations,” said Duke Rodriguez, CEO and President of Ultra Health.

While patient enrollment continues to increase rapidly month after month, NMDOH has not increased the number of plants Licensed Non-Profit Producers can cultivate in more than two years. During the same two year period enrollment has increased 198 percent. Plant count was increased to address a historical shortage confirmed in an NMDOH survey in 2013.

There are 6,034 patients approved for Personal Production Licenses, all of whom can cultivate 16 plants per patient. Altogether, personal producers can cultivate a maximum of 96,544 plants while all 35 Licensed Non-Profit Producers are capped at a maximum of 15,750 plants. Personal producers make up less than 15 percent of all patients, marking the lowest percentage of Personal Production Licenses since the Medical Cannabis Program began.

The five counties with the most medical cannabis patients are Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Dona Ana, Sandoval and Valencia, respectively. The area with the highest rate of patients per thousand population is Sierra County. Historical experience has proven that enrollment increases rapidly as services are made available in an area. If access and enrollment throughout New Mexico was equal to the level of participation experienced in Sierra County, total statewide patient enrollment would currently exceed 77,000 patients.

Fifteen counties remain without a full time dispensary, including Otero County which has the highest number of patients (834) enrolled in the program among counties without dispensaries. An Ultra Health facility is fully ready to open in Otero County and has been approved by the city of Alamogordo for operation, yet NMDOH has failed to inspect or approve the license amendment which has been pending for more than one year.

NMDOH has relied on home delivery by providers to meet rural access, but rural delivery has proven ineffective for patients and providers.

Earlier this month, two Ultra Health employees were detained at a federal Border Patrol Checkpoint on their way to deliver more than $1,000 worth of medicine to 12 patients living in the Alamogordo area. The medicine was confiscated by the checkpoint personnel and the employees were eventually released without charges. Patients in southern New Mexico have continuously faced arrest, confiscation or other risks due to NMDOH failure to approve new locations for current producers.

A total of 45 dispensaries are currently operating under 31 Licensed Non-Profit Producers. Twenty-two dispensaries are currently located in Albuquerque. Ultra Health has submitted 12 total amendments for dispensary locations in rural areas such as Alamogordo, Silver City, Deming, Sunland Park, Socorro, Truth or Consequences, Gallup, Carlsbad, South Valley, Grants, Espanola and Las Cruces. NMDOH has failed to approve or deny these amendments, some of which have been pending for nearly one year.

NMDOH reported four dispensaries, which were all licensed in October of 2015, have started production but have not opened distribution locations as of April 5. Eight additional licenses were also awarded during that period to address medicine shortages according to Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher.