Sweet Leaf Family Practice

Patients in Utah have a new, natural option for pain relief and symptom management. Sweet Leaf Family Practice, in Salt Lake City, provides online telemedicine health evaluation services for residents of Utah who want legal access to therapeutic medical marijuana.

Patients who are living with chronic pain are impacted in many ways. Those with moderate to severe pain may not be able to work and be gainfully employed. Debilitating pain symptoms reduce mobility and a patient’s ability to conduct activities of daily living and self-care.

About Marci Baak

Marci Baak is a Family Nurse Practitioner, who earned a master’s degree (MSN) at Frontier Nursing University, after graduating as an RN (BSN) at Westminster College in 2007. For more than thirteen (13) years, Marci has dedicated herself to pain management, substance use disorder treatments, wound care management, and chronic health supports for patients.

Items you will need to organize before your telemedicine appointment for a medical marijuana health evaluation with Sweet Leaf Family Practice include:

• A valid Utah State ID.
• A valid private email address that you have access to.
• A passport-style photo (less than 90-days old that resembles your current appearance).
• Your medical file and health records for at least 1-3 years, including therapeutic procedures, surgeries, and diagnoses from a specialist and/or your primary care provider.
• A current list of all medications and dietary supplements you take on a daily or as-needed basis.

How Do I Get My Utah Medical Marijuana Card After I Receive My Recommendation?

Your certified health practitioner will provide a comprehensive health evaluation that will include a review of your medical history, current condition, and symptoms. You may also need to complete a pain inventory. A pain inventory is a short survey of the intensity of pain that you may experience, what times of the day you encounter pain symptoms, and how frequently they occur. This helps determine the full scope of your pain management needs. The practitioner may also ask you to rate how well your current medications (over the counter or prescription NSAIDs and opioids) are working to provide relief from pain and inflammation.

When the telemedicine health evaluation is completed, the practitioner will upload the patient’s information through a secure and HIPAA-compliant Utah State database. This information will include the letter of recommendation approving the patient for medical cannabis use.

The patient is then required to visit the Utah Department of Health website and apply for registration as a Utah medical marijuana patient. If the patient is approved and registered by the DOH, a card will be mailed to the resident. The fee for issuing the card is $15.00. Once received, the patient can visit a cannabis pharmacy or medical marijuana dispensary to purchase legalized CBD or THC infused therapeutic products, such as tinctures, capsules, and vape oils.

Utah medical marijuana cards expire after six months. Before the expiration of your MMJ card, you will be required to schedule another telemedicine review by a health practitioner.