The Utah Patients Coalition: Advocates for Utah Cannabis Patients

What is the Utah Patients Coalition?

UPC is a nonprofit patient advocacy organization that's been fighting for Utah patients since 2017. In fact, UPC is the reason medical cannabis is legal in Utah at all — they're the group that filed the original ballot initiative that led to the creation of Utah's Medical Cannabis Act. Since then, they've stayed active at the state capitol, working with lawmakers to protect and expand patient access to plant medicine.

Their mission is simple: patients deserve access to safe, effective, natural treatment options, and they deserve to make their own informed health decisions without unnecessary barriers standing in the way.

What Have They Changed for Patients?

Some of the patient protections UPC has helped bring to Utah include:

• Conditional cards for terminally ill patients, so they can begin shopping at a pharmacy while their medical card is still processing
• Acute pain cards, a 20-day card option for patients recovering from surgery or a procedure
• Simplified caregiver background checks, so a designated caregiver only needs one background check to be approved
• Legal protections for firefighters to use cannabis 12 hours before a shift
• Faster, HIPAA-compliant verification system access, which helps cut down wait times at the pharmacy counter
• Ongoing work on a therapeutic psilocybin pilot program (SB200), exploring plant medicine access beyond cannabis

None of these changes happen overnight, and they don't happen without patients and advocates showing up.
 

The Utah Patient Subsidy Program

One of the parts of UPC's work we want to highlight directly: their patient subsidy program. Medical cannabis isn't covered by insurance, and UPC recognized early on that cost is one of the biggest barriers standing between patients and the treatment they need.

The subsidy program is funded by local Utah businesses — Dragonfly included — and it exists to help offset the cost of medical cannabis for patients facing financial hardship.

If cost has ever been a barrier for you, this program may be worth looking into. You can learn more or apply directly at utahpatients.org/upsp.

The Dragonfly Round-Up Program

For many patients — especially those on fixed incomes, without stable housing, or managing a terminal illness — affording consistent medicine isn't always easy. That's why Dragonfly is bringing back our Round-Up Program, giving patients an easy way to help a neighbor bridge that gap.

At checkout — in-pharmacy, drive-thru, or online — you'll have the option to add $1, $3, or $5, or simply round your total up to the nearest dollar. Every dollar goes straight to UPC's patient subsidy fund, stays right here in Utah, and helps another patient access safe, legal, consistent medicine. Because nobody should have to choose between groceries or their medicine. The Round-Up Program is part of a bigger commitment-Dragonfly Wellness Pledges over $200,000 Annually to the UPC, making us proud long-standing partners in this mission.

• It's completely optional and never tied to any purchase, discount, or pricing.
• 100% of what you give goes to UPC, supporting patients who are prioritized for financial hardship, housing instability, or terminal illness.
• UPC currently has a waitlist of patients seeking this kind of help — your round-up directly shortens that wait for someone.
• Prefer to give outside of checkout? You can donate directly any time at utahpatients.org/donate or through UPC's Round-Up page.

Why Dragonfly Partners With UPC

Dragonfly's mission has always centered on putting patients first, and UPC's advocacy work protects the very access and affordability we care about most. Supporting UPC — through the Round-Up Program and beyond — means supporting the policy environment that lets us keep serving patients well, and it means small, everyday generosity from our community can help a neighbor stay on their medicine.

Want to Learn More or Get Involved?

UPC offers a range of free resources for Utah patients, including:

• A statewide directory of licensed medical cannabis pharmacies and qualified medical providers (QMPs)
• A plain-language New Patient FAQ and breakdown of the Medical Cannabis Act
• Patient stories and educational printables
• An Action Center where you can contact your legislators directly about issues that matter to you

You can explore all of it at utahpatients.org, or reach their team directly:

• Email: info@utahpatients.org
• Phone: 435-932-0633

Patient advocacy is easy to take for granted until you need it. We're grateful for the work UPC does every day for Utah's medical cannabis community, and we're proud to stand alongside them.

Have questions about your care, a medical cannabis card, or the Round-Up Program? Reach out to your Dragonfly care team — we're always happy to help point you in the right direction.