Colorado Medical Marijuana Patients Burdened By Over-Regulation
23.05.12
Registering as an MMJ patient just got harder—thanks, SB 109!
By Jacob Browne
This past holiday season, patients across the state rushed to their mailboxes to find well wishes from friends and family, last minute gifts they ordered online and bills they’ll struggle to pay. What many didn’t expect was a letter from state health officials. No, it wasn’t a refund from the medical marijuana registry’s overstuffed stockings. Many received what amounts to yet another roadblock to patient rights.
Last year, the state legislature passed SB 109 to clarify the process of obtaining a medical marijuana card, with then-Governor Bill Ritter lauding the measure as a way to “help prevent fraud and abuse.” One of the key elements: ensuring that every patient received a physical exam before the physician signed off on the recommendation. Employees at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) had claimed that a flood of applicants was causing backlogs in the approval process, preventing them from issuing cards in the 35 days mandated by Amendment 20. As it turns out, the bill would soon become responsible for some of the longest delays in the history of the registry.
Source: THE Weed Blog (blog)
