Reports of a tentative compromise between lawmakers, the LDS Church and backers of Prop. 2 were premature according to sources involved in the negotiations who spoke to UtahPolicy.com on Tuesday morning.
The Deseret News published a story on Tuesday claiming that the groups had struck a deal on Monday night, but that is not true according to House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, who is shepherding the talks.
“The talks are still ongoing. We’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet,” said Hughes.
Sources indicate the publication of the story threatened to derail the delicate nature of the negotiations.
“For them to say there’s an agreement that’s coming just blows everybody’s mind,” they said. “We can’t tell why they would say that.”
As UtahPolicy.com first reported, the groups have been meeting for more than a week, trying to find common ground on medical marijuana. Opponents of Prop. 2 say the initiative does not do enough to prevent the diversion of legally grown marijuana for recreational use. They also worry there are not enough safeguards in place to ensure the quality of the product to protect patients. Proponents of Prop. 2 want to make sure that any regulatory structure put in place is not so cumbersome that it keeps patients from getting access to the product.
“Nothing is baked at this point,” said one source who spoke on Wednesday morning. They stressed that if the groups are able to come to an agreement on medical marijuana, that will simply be a starting point for further discussions.
“There will be tweaks as more eyes look at it,” they said.
