Participation trends align with recent survey answer on interest in Medical Cannabis Program

(Albuquerque) – Nearly 67,000 patients have enrolled in New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program, according to data released by the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). A record increase of over 21,000 new enrollees since November 30, 2017.

November’s 2018 single-month jump of 3,836 new enrollees was the largest single-month gain in over 20 months, or since April 2017.

While the overall program is experiencing a 47% year-over-year increase in patient participation, many rural counties in New Mexico are outpacing the overall growth with participation growth rates surpassing 100 percent for the same period.

The accelerated interest in the state’s Medical Cannabis Program comes as no surprise, as a May 2018 statewide survey has indicated 16 percent of New Mexicans are likely to apply for a medical cannabis card within the next two years. The survey responses do not include patients who already have their medical cannabis card.

About 1.6 million adults live in New Mexico as of July 1, 2017, therefore equating 16 percent of the population to an additional 255,245 potential patients entering the program by 2020 given their survey response to “the likelihood of applying to the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program in the next two years.”

The ten counties with the fastest growing cannabis patient populations in New Mexico include:

Luna 115%
Grant 108%
Socorro 96%
Quay 89%
Otero 71%
Roosevelt 69%
Curry 68%
McKinley 64%
Doña Ana 61%
Santa Fe 54%

“The Medical Cannabis Program has indefinitely hit another milestone in soaring past 66,000 patients. This growth combined with recent favorable court decisions have provided a brighter future of delivering safer, and soon more affordable and convenient medicine to an even greater number of New Mexicans,” said Duke Rodriguez, CEO and President of Ultra Health®.

The industry is expected to continue its accelerated pace into the close of the year, with forecasts showing more than $100 million in patient sales for 2018. By the end of the year, enrollment in the program will likely swell to nearly 70,000 qualified patients.