Last verified: April 2026
The 15 Listed Conditions
Under Utah Code §26B-4-201, a Utah-licensed Recommending Medical Provider (RMP) or Limited Medical Provider (LMP) may certify a patient who has been diagnosed with one of the following:
- HIV or AIDS
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Cancer
- Cachexia (severe wasting)
- Persistent nausea — excluding pregnancy-related, cyclical-vomiting, and cannabinoid-hyperemesis nausea
- Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Epilepsy or debilitating seizures
- Multiple sclerosis or persistent and debilitating muscle spasms
- PTSD, when actively treated and monitored by a qualifying mental-health therapist (see provider requirements below)
- Autism with documented self-harm behaviors
- Terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than six months
- Hospice care
- Rare disease — per the NIH definition, fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States
- Persistent or chronic pain, defined as: pain lasting two or more weeks for which an opioid would otherwise be a treatment option, OR acute surgical pain or pain from a documented condition
Some readings of the post-amendment statute also count autoimmune disorders treated with immunosuppressives as a separate qualifier, putting the count at 16. The Center for Medical Cannabis (CMC) operates from the 15-condition framework in patient education materials.
What Patients Actually Qualify Under
The CMC publishes a monthly “active conditions” report. The March 2026 distribution makes one fact unmistakable: Utah’s medical cannabis program is, in practice, a chronic-pain program.
| Condition | Active Patients | Share of 112,093 |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent / chronic pain | 97,530 | ~87% |
| PTSD | ~5,690 | ~5.1% |
| Persistent nausea | 2,435 | ~2.2% |
| Cancer | 2,096 | ~1.9% |
| Epilepsy / seizures | 725 | ~0.6% |
| Crohn’s / ulcerative colitis | 576 | ~0.5% |
| All other listed conditions + CUB approvals | ~3,041 | ~2.7% |
A patient may receive a medical cannabis card to treat a condition listed in Utah Code §26B-4-201. The Compassionate Use Board may also recommend treatment for a non-listed condition that, in the Board's judgment, would be appropriately treated with medical cannabis.
Utah Code §26B-4-201 — Qualifying Conditions
The Persistent-Pain Definition
The pain qualifier is the broadest, but it is not unlimited. Statute defines “persistent or chronic pain” as either:
- Pain lasting two or more weeks for which an opioid would otherwise be the standard prescription, OR
- Acute pain from surgery or a documented condition.
Acute-pain certifications produce a 30-day card — designed for post-surgical use rather than ongoing treatment. Standard chronic-pain cards follow the normal 90-day / 6-month / 12-month renewal ladder described on the How to Get a Card page.
The PTSD Provider Rules
PTSD is the only condition with a heightened provider requirement. The certifying RMP or LMP must verify that the patient is being actively treated and monitored by a qualifying mental-health therapist. Eligible providers include:
- A VA provider (any modality)
- A psychiatrist (MD or DO)
- A psychologist holding a doctorate or master’s degree
- A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) at the master’s level
- A psychiatric advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)
The Compassionate Use Board (CUB)
The CUB is a panel of physicians appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate two categories of cases:
- Non-listed conditions. An RMP can petition on behalf of a patient whose condition is not in the statutory list but who, in the provider’s judgment, would benefit from cannabis. Most petitions are denied; granted petitions become precedent.
- Patients under 21. Every minor patient must be approved by the CUB regardless of qualifying condition. The board reviews dosing, parental-guardian consent, and the proposed treatment plan.
Under-21 patients represent less than 0.1% of the active population. CUB processing can extend the standard 15-day card timeline to up to 90 days.
Conditions That Are NOT Qualifying
Utah’s list is narrower than most legal medical states. The following are not standalone qualifiers in Utah:
- Anxiety (without a separate qualifying diagnosis like PTSD)
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Migraines (unless documented as chronic pain)
- ADHD
- Glaucoma (most other medical states list it; Utah does not)
- Opioid use disorder
A provider can sometimes certify under the chronic-pain qualifier when one of these co-occurs with documented pain, but cannot certify these as standalone diagnoses.
Explore Related Topics
Official Sources
- Utah Code §26B-4-201 — Qualifying Conditions
- CMC — Qualifying Conditions for Patients
- Utah Center for Medical Cannabis
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org