Colorado-Medical-Marijuana-Blog

Some advocates against medical marijuana use in Colorado claim fully legalizing the substance will just encourage chronic users to come out of the woodwork, which would lead to larger crimes. Others, however, feel that full legalization will mean providing greater benefits to those with life-threatening illnesses who are currently hamstringed by state and federal rules and regulations. A lawyer in Longmont, Colorado recently found herself supporting legalization upon discovering she had contracted a deadly, aggressive form of breast cancer. Using medical marijuana was the difference between living and dying as it enabled her to eat and not vomit during the grueling 18 month round of chemotherapy treatments. To this lawyer, advocating and supporting full legalization may enable others in similar predicaments better access to the life saving treatment they might require.

Many users of medical marijuana in Colorado have had a growing concern regarding their personal information becoming public through state-maintained databases. This concern grew with the passing of legislation in 2010 assigning regulatory authority of medical marijuana centers, Infused Product Manufacturers and growers to the Colorado Department of Revenue. This legislation required the Colorado Department of Public Health to share limited, non personally identifying information to the DOR in order to verify the number of patients a marijuana center is serving as a provider. There is currently no such database which allows the two agencies to share information. Should this database be created, it will be intended for law officials to have access to verify whether individuals have a valid ID card. However, they can only access the system using information provided by the patient directly and no names or personal information will be shared.

While the list of approved medical conditions for the usage of medical marijuana is already quite large in its own right, many medical patients have been seeking to add new conditions to the list. The Colorado Department of Health has received many petitions to add the following debilitating medical conditions to is approved list of conditions for which medical marijuana can be recommended by a physician: asthma, atherosclerosis, Bipolar disorder, Crohn’s disease, diabetes mellitus; types 1 and 2, diabetic retinopathy, Hepatitis C, hypertension, methicillan-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), opiod dependence, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), rheumatoid arthritis, severe anxiety & clinical depression and Tourette’s syndrome. As of yet, the Colorado Department of Public Health has not approved any of these conditions for the use of medical marijuana.

Dear MMJ patients,

On May 2nd Representatives Ron Paul, Barney Frank, Dana Rohrabacher and Jared Polis sent out a Dear Colleague letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives announcing the upcoming introduction of their hemp farming bill and asking them to become original cosponsors of the bill.

We need your help! Your representative in the U.S. House needs to hear from you so they have a good reason to become an original cosponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011, which will be introduced this week. They can become an original cosponsor today. Please log on to the link below or call or write your representative directly.

http://capwiz.com/votehemp/issues/alert/?alertid=46263501

VoteHemp.com

Tougher rules and restrictions regarding Colorado medical marijuana patients have now become directed at doctors in Colorado and which in particular, which doctors should be allowed to recommend medical marijuana to patients. The Colorado Board of Health is aiming to make it clearer on how well doctors know their patients before recommending marijuana treatment and also question whether doctors with conditions on their licenses such as a surgeon being banned from surgery due to the development of arthritis should be allowed to recommend marijuana to their patients. These regulations are aimed at discouraging marijuana mills in which doctors recommend marijuana to new patients after only a brief visit. Approximately 1,300 people who applied for medical marijuana cards this last year were denied by the state due to their recommendations coming from doctors with license conditions.

Medical marijuana patients in Colorado will have a new festival to attend this year as Colorado becomes the host of the World Cannabis Convention in May 2011. According to Kush Magazine editor, Michael Lerner, the World Cannabis Convention will be responsible for bringing millions of dollars of revenue to the state. Medical marijuana advocates from around the world are expected to attend the convention. Hundreds of booths will be set up and there is expected to be thousands of giveaways. Live concerts and a Hot Kush Girl contest will be hosted by ROOR. The resting lounge will include food, full bar and massage chairs. Guest speakers will include grow experts, industry leaders, advocates, attorneys and more. Organization leaders are expecting the World Cannabis Convention to experience a record turnout.

According to House Bill 1261, drivers in Colorado using medical marijuana while driving may be subject to a DUI arrest. The bill is intended to set limits on the amount of THC – the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that a driver is allowed to have in their system while driving. House bill 1261, stating the amount of THC can only be 5 nanograms, has one more vote in the House before it moves on to the Senate. The Cannabis Therapy Institute, a Colorado-based medical marijuana advocacy organization, is currently urging supporters to oppose House Bill 1261, claiming the bill to be unnecessary and unfounded and is aimed at targeting medical marijuana patients for DUI arrests.

Colorado medical marijuana caregivers may be under tighter scrutiny in the near future as state legislators work to pass bills requiring caregivers to be more open about the product they grow. Lawmakers in Colorado are concerned that it may be harder to disseminate between legitimate caregivers and what they consider to be basement drug dealers. A bill currently pending in legislature is aimed at creating a database of the estimated 40,000 registered caregivers in the state who currently are not under the same kind of security or reporting requirements as commercial dealers. Caregivers are concerned this may put them at risk for police harassment as well as increased crime.

As state laws become stricter on medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado, outlying cities such as Ft. Collins are finding ways of their own to tighten restrictions on dispensaries and dispensary locations. With the number of dispensaries in Ft. Collins climbing to over 23, officials are working to keep the city from becoming a regional hub for medical marijuana users. Lawmakers voted 5-2 last week to grandfather in medical marijuana businesses already operating in the city or are in the process of getting a license in an effort to avoid the city becoming a growth and distribution hub. One way is to limit licenses to two. Another is to require businesses to adhere to the ordinance requiring a dispensary to keep at least 1,000 feet from schools and 500 feet from colleges, parks and places of worship. By tightening the belt on dispensaries, Ft. Collins lawmakers hope to keep Ft. Collins from becoming a focal point for medical marijuana users in the northern region.

Due to the rising demand for medical marijuana in Colorado over the past year, Colorado Medical Marijuana has added several locations to serve clients more efficiently. Colorado Medical Marijuana clients can obtain product at locations in Ft. Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Broomfield and Boulder north of Denver and Park Meadows/Highlands Ranch, Littleton and Lakewood south of Denver. Colorado Medical Marijuana’s downtown Denver location is also conveniently location for those living in the central metro area. Colorado Medical Marijuana strives to offer clients convenience as well as quality product at all locations as well as a knowledgeable, trained staff to assist with selection and questions. By expanding north to Ft. Collins, Colorado Medical Marijuana has been able to help clients who may be unable to drive down to central Denver for their medical marijuana needs.