After weeks of wrangling, a bill that was to have legalized medical marijuana in Utah was headed for a vote — and likely passage — Thursday when it got stopped dead as legislative leaders realized there was no money to implement it.

The demise of the measure — narrower than a more sweeping proposal that also fizzled — means proponents of medical marijuana will file papers April 16 and begin working to put an initiative on the ballot to create a wider medical cannabis program.

“One way or another, patients are going to get the help they need,” said Christine Stenquist, president and co-founder of the group TRUCE, which stands for Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education.

The initiative will have to be targeted for the 2018 ballot, because there is not enough time and too many hurdles for proponents to get the measure to a vote this year. [Read more at the Salt Lake Tribune]