(Salt Lake City) The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is urging all companies who plan to apply for one of the limited number of licenses to cultivate Medical Cannabis in Utah to start the process now of obtaining the required background checks.

One of the statutory requirements in the Request for Proposals for a cannabis cultivation license that each applicant must meet is successful completion of background checks by all individuals who have a financial or voting interest of at least 2% or has the power to direct or cause the management or control of the establishment. Later, before working in a facility, all employees of the company must also have successfully completed background check.

Because background checks can take up to 90 days, UDAF strongly encourages applicants to apply for all required background checks as the first thing they do in the application process.

“It is critical for all interested parties to understand that the background check must be completed before an application can be considered,” said Andrew Rigby, Director of Medical Cannabis and Hemp Programs, UDAF. “This process can sometimes be slower than applicants anticipate. Begin this process first.”

Background checks cost $51.50 per person. Background check fees are paid to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Call 801-538-7100 to make a payment. As part of the process applicants will have to complete a Criminal Background Check Authorization Form and a Live Scan Fingerprint Authorization Form.

Additional information and links to the forms necessary to begin the background check process can be found on the UDAF website on the cannabis information page: https://ag.utah.gov/cannabis-information.html

A link to the RFP will be published on the UDAF cannabis information page as soon as it is released. https://ag.utah.gov/cannabis-information.html