Supply remains in jeopardy as patient enrollment increases at double the rate of industry sales
(Albuquerque) – The 35 licensed commercial producers in New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program brought in a record $22.1 million for the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 4 percent from the second quarter.
Patient enrollment increased by over 10 percent, from 44,403 to 48,861, during the same quarterly period.
Continue reading “Medical Cannabis Program Continues Growth in Third Quarter”
New Mexico industry leader reaches over one million dollar sales in single month
(Albuquerque) – Ultra Health, New Mexico’s #1 Cannabis Company, achieved $1.1 million in sales for the month of September 2017, the highest single month revenue ever recorded by a New Mexico cannabis provider. It is the first time a licensed New Mexico producer has achieved greater than $1 million for a single month. There are currently 35 licensed commercial medical cannabis producers in New Mexico serving nearly 50,000 patients.
Ultra Health recently opened its eighth location serving six New Mexico counties and became the nation’s largest vertically integrated solely medical cannabis provider.
“The milestone achieved is a direct reflection of how the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program is sustaining its upward momentum,” said Duke Rodriguez, CEO and President of Ultra Health®. “We remain committed to providing every patient in every county equal access to safe, affordable and convenient medicine. The continued growth of the industry is fully dependent on new products, patients and locations being successfully integrated.”
Patients have responded favorably to Ultra Health’s new pharmaceutical-grade, smokeless medicinal products which include sublingual and oral tablets, vaginal and rectal suppositories, oils, topicals, pastilles and patches.
“We are dedicated to enhancing patient choice, which means giving all patients the healthy advantages of purchasing accurately dosed medications with varied delivery methods, much like you would purchase from your neighborhood pharmacy,” Rodriguez said.
As of September 30, 2017 the New Mexico Department of Health reported 48,861 medical cannabis patients enrolled in the program. Currently, thousands of patients still reside in 14 counties without a full time dispensary. New Mexico is the 5th largest state by area which makes rural access challenging but essential for improved health.
New Mexico’s medical cannabis industry is expected to reach $90 million in revenue by the end of the current year and hit $205 million by 2020.
By Olivier Uyttebrouck / The Albuquerque Journal
Published on September 28, 2017
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico medical cannabis grower who wants to advertise on Albuquerque buses was turned down by city officials, who say the ads would violate federal laws and put the city at risk of losing transit funding.
Duke Rodriguez, owner of Ultra Health LLC, had planned to buy an ad on the outside of ABQ Ride buses advertising the firm’s three Albuquerque dispensaries. Ultra Health had planned to spend up to $25,000 a year on the ads, he said.
Bruce Rizzieri, director of the city’s transit department, cited federal drug laws in a Sept. 13 letter to Rodriguez rejecting Ultra Health’s request.
Rizzieri said that “even if the medical cannabis program is allowed under state law, advertising of Schedule 1 substances is still prohibited by federal law.”
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
Albuquerque and other agencies that receive Federal Transit Administration grants are prohibited from advertising a substance that remains illegal under federal law, Rizzieri wrote.
Rizzieri said Ultra Health’s proposed ad would violate the city’s policy, which prohibits advertising that “relates to an illegal or unlawful activity.”
City officials confirmed Rizzieri wrote the letter but did not offer additional comment Wednesday.
Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis sent a letter this week to the Federal Transit Administration expressing support for Ultra Health’s request and asking federal officials to approve the ads.
“I believe that distributing medical cannabis pursuant to a state law does not constitute illegally distributing a controlled substance,” Davis wrote in a letter dated Tuesday.
Rodriguez said he doubts the federal agency will approve his request to advertise on city buses, in which case Ultra Health would consider filing a federal lawsuit alleging the city violated the firm’s constitutional rights.
“If the answer remains unclear, then we have to go into the realm of whether this is a freedom of speech issue that needs to be adjudicated by the court,” Rodriguez said.
Subscribe to our mailing list SearchCan’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching can help.
