Pubdate: Tue, 07 Dec 2010
Source: Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO)
Copyright: 2010 Associated Press
Contact: http://www.coloradoan.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.coloradoan.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1580
Author: Kristen Wyatt
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?277 (Cannabis - Medicinal -  Colorado)
Cited: SAFER Colorado http://www.saferchoice.org/

OFFICIALS: 2 PERCENT OF COLORADANS HAVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARDS

DENVER (AP) -- About 2 percent of Colorado residents now have cards 
to buy medical marijuana.

The state health department said Tuesday it came up with the figure 
while clearing a backlog of pot applications.

Officials said the number of medical marijuana users now totals about 
116,000 -- more than the population of Pueblo.

Clearing the backlog means people who apply for medical marijuana 
cards will know within the 35 days required by law whether their 
applications have been approved, said Mark Salley, spokesman for the 
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

For months, the backlog was so large that applicants were allowed to 
buy pot as long as they could prove they had applied. That left 
thousands of people able to shop at marijuana dispensaries before 
recommendations from their doctors were reviewed.

Temporary workers were hired to clear the backlog.

Applicants must show they are Colorado residents and attach a form 
from a doctor stating they suffer from an ailment that qualifies them 
for use medical pot such as cancer, AIDS, glaucoma or chronic pain, 
the most common ailment cited.

Applications cost $90 a year, unless patients meet poverty guidelines.

"It's great news that things are going to be moving smoother," said 
Mason Tvert, head of SAFER Colorado, which advocates for full 
legalization of marijuana, even for recreational use. The name of the 
group stands for Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation.

The health department still has work to do regarding medical marijuana.

A state law that took effect earlier this year requires health 
authorities to clarify how it's determined that a caregiver has 
"significant responsibility" for a patient.

The change is designed to cut down on sham designations in which a 
caregiver does nothing more than sell pot to a patient.

A task force of doctors, regulators and law enforcement officials is 
set to meet Wednesday to start work on that clarification.

The group also must resolve the question of which doctors should be 
allowed to recommend pot, and adopt a procedure for adding new 
medical conditions to the list of those that already qualify someone 
for marijuana cards.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom