A medical cannabis pharmacy is slated to open this summer in Moab after the Medical Cannabis Establishment Licensing Board awarded the Boojum Group the rural license. They were awarded  out of five finalists.

The Boojum Group, a cannabis processing and manufacturing company, is co-founded by Dashiel Kulander, who grew up in Moab and has advocated to open a dispensary in the city since 2021.  

The cannabis pharmacy is located on 160 East 100 South, where WabiSabi used to reside. The location is already under renovation, with Kulander and co-founder Britni King on the ground to manage the process.  

Kulander estimated the pharmacy will have a $10 million local economic impact within three years. He also emphasized how local ownership contributes more to the city’s economy.

“That’s another reason why it was important for local ownership, because when owners are local, that money gets injected into the local economy more,” Kulander told The Times-Independent. “… It’s really important for us to hire local pharmacists, and support the community in that way.”

Kulander added they’ve already hired a local contractor and creative director. To maximize economic impact, Kulander and King intend to continue hiring locally. The couple plans to hire about six employees to start off with two as pharmacists. King added as the location grows, there could be 30-50 additional jobs.

“Once we get delivery going we will need to ramp it up!” King said in a message to The Times-Independent. 

Moab had two applicants for the license, the Boojum Group and Zen Leaf, who Kulander pointed out is Canadian owned. Zen Leaf, which is operated by Verano Holdings Corp., was recently approved to redomicile the corporation from British Columbia, Canada, to the state of Nevada.

Support from the Moab area

 Grand County Commission Chair Bill Winfield spoke in support of Kulander and King at the Nov. 13 meeting, where the licensing board tabled the award decision until the Dec. 4 meeting.

Kulander said Winfield drove to Taylorsville for the Nov. 13 meeting to provide public comment in person. 

“Having our chair, the chair of the Grand County Commission, was huge,” Kulander said. “… if they were deciding between two different people to award the license to, then they would call the Grand County Commission, and they’re kind of the deciding factor on who would get it. So that was huge to have their support for sure from the county.”

Kulander added Winfield was “instrumental” throughout the whole process, such as working with legislators, getting the location approved, and helping the Boojum Group obtain  the license.

The city also sent a letter of support for the Boojum Group last summer. In addition, the city recommended to the state that the location receive a 20% reduction in how close it can be to a residential area. Typically, medical cannabis pharmacies need to be 600 feet away from the nearest residential zone. The state approved the city’s recommended 20% deduction, and the location now only needs to be 450 feet away from the nearest residential zone. 

The cannabis pharmacy is attached to the new RIZE Reformer Pilates and Fitness Studio and Kulander said the owners are “very excited” and King added they’ve only heard good things from the community.

“I think it’s the most positive reaction from a community that most of the other pharmacies that have opened up in small towns have received,” King said. “We’ve been really happy with it.”

The stigma against medical marijuana

When Kulander and King open and operate the medical cannabis pharmacy, they hope the community will become more comfortable with medical marijuana use.

“[The] more people get their prescription, and then people talk about it … and their experiences, then the more times they hear that, it’s ‘okay, it’s a normal thing,’” King said. “It’s just plant medicine.”

Kulander added that once a cannabis pharmacy is established in a community for two years, then the community sees medical marijuana use doesn’t have “negative impacts” and the “fear gets appeased a little bit.” 

As the cannabis pharmacy reaches its opening date, King said the shop will offer  previews and invite the community to see the products. King added they will also invite the local law enforcement agencies  to get familiar with the inventory. 

“They [the police] are always really impressed when they come and see our facility and things like that. They’re like, ‘Oh, you guys are scientists in here.’”

Both King and Kulander acknowledged there are Utahns who drive over state lines to buy their cannabis, but Kulander noted a goal is to bring patients into a program that’s regulated and legal. 

The Boojum Group tests all of its products to ensure they’re safe and effective. King said though the black market is “cheaper,” it’s because they don’t pay regulatory costs. 

“Those aren’t getting tested for not only residual solvents, but pesticides and heavy metals and all these things,” King said. “Cannabis, especially when grown outside — any heavy metals or anything that’s in the earth —  it gets sucked up into the plant. So you want to get it tested.”

The stigma against medical marijuana doesn’t only impact the community, but it impacts the doctors who can recommend a patient for a prescription.

Kulander and King hope they can rely on local doctors to do so in the future. 

When House Bill 54 passed during the 2025 legislative session, which allowed the state to award one rural medical cannabis license, another bill, HB357, was also passed. 

HB357  allows any doctor in the state to recommend their patient for a medical cannabis card. Previously, a doctor had to be a qualified medical provider and register through the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, but King said doctors “weren’t wanting to do it that way.”

“They didn’t want to be on a list of doctors and be known as the cannabis doctor or weed doctor,” King said. “So that kind of allowed more doctors to at least prescribe for their patients that they thought it was appropriate.”

Kulander and King want to rely on local doctors because they have an “intimate understanding” of the patient’s health history, needs and can better determine which medication a patient needs. “That would be ideal, but there’s still a lot of stigma in this industry,” Kulander said.

Despite the reservations some may have , Kulander said the sentiment of the medical card community in Moab is relief because they no longer have to drive two hours to Price, where the closest pharmacy is, or wait over a week for their prescriptions to be delivered. 

What comes next

The couple hopes to post job advertisements in February. Once the cannabis pharmacy is open, King said the goal is for the community to associate it with “a fun, good experience [and] positive vibes.” 

King added they hope to help the community by doing food drives and partner with local businesses and nonprofits to support the Moab area. 

The space doesn’t need any updated plumbing — all that needs to be renovated is adding walls to divide office space. 

Kulander added the executive board for the Boojum Group consists of  him, King, and his sister, Olivia Kulander, who is the chief scientific officer, and all three are excited to bring the cannabis industry to the town they grew up in.

“It’s just very special to us, for sure, and we’re honored to be the ones to be able to do it. And it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly, to the community and to the local government, to the state,” Kulander said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Note to readers • Lizzie Ramirez is a Report for America corps member covering local government and tourism in Grand County for The Times-Independent. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.