The New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program started 2018 on a high note, with the most enrolled patients it has ever had. As the month of January came to an end, the program had 47,840 registered patients, a nearly 50% increase from January 2017.

According to Ultra Health, a medical cannabis dispensary company in New Mexico, the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program welcomed a record-breaking 17,599 patients in 2017, and with 1,195 registered patients added in the first month of 2018, the program is slated to have 60,000 registered patients by the end of the year.

“The new year began with decision-makers at local, state and national levels deliberating the continued integration of cannabis in their communities,” said Duke Rodriguez, CEO of Ultra Health.

“For New Mexico, rapid cannabis expansion is the new normal, demanding solutions that support increased product availability, improved quality and lower prices of medical cannabis. The last thing we want to do is force patients back into the black market,” Rodriguez said.

With an increase in patients, Ultra Health has recorded higher demand for its pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis products, and with products like concentrates requiring more cannabis matter to be formulated, there could be a coming dip in accessible medical cannabis flower.