Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jan 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122

MEDICAL POT RULES NEED MANY FIXES

Colorado's rules regarding medical marijuana should be brought in 
line to match those around recreational pot.

It makes no sense, for example, that the state requires the testing 
of retail marijuana for contaminants, potency and homogeneity but not 
medical marijuana.

It is against the law to infuse trademarked products with marijuana 
for recreational sales. Not so with medical.

Also, having an "undisclosed financial interest in a retail licensee" 
is against the law. Again, that is not the case with medical marijuana.

Gov. John Hickenlooper's administration tried to resolve some of 
these issues through a set of recommendations offered to the Senate 
Finance Committee on Tuesday. But the committee rejected all but one 
of the administration's 15 recommendations.

That means lawmakers now will have to debate every aspect of the 
medical marijuana code, which could open the door for big changes in 
how the drug is grown and sold, according to The Associated Press' 
Kristen Wyatt.

Many of the rules recommended were sensible and should be approved by 
the legislature.

For example, the administration wanted more oversight of caregivers, 
requiring disclosure of where pot is grown. Currently, divulging the 
location is optional and only about 5 percent of the 3,000 licensed 
caregivers do so. That creates a problem for law enforcement who 
encounter questionable growing operations.

Senate Bill 14, which was introduced earlier this month, has several 
sensible reforms, such as requiring caregivers to register with the 
Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Currently, patients, 
but not caregivers, must register with the health department. Also, 
the bill, sponsored by Sen. Irene Aguilar, D- Denver, would establish 
guidelines for physicians who make medical marijuana recommendations 
for patients suffering from severe pain, creating a standard of care. 
That's common for every other type of pain medication. And with 95 
percent of patients on the registry saying they need marijuana for 
pain, it only makes sense.

Marijuana advocates are worried this is a back-door way of shutting 
off the supply. It is not. It is part of the continual and gradual 
process of bringing marijuana into the legitimate world of medicine.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom