Pubdate: Wed, 09 Dec 2009 Source: Denver Post (CO) Copyright: 2009 The Denver Post Corp Contact: http://www.denverpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) MARIJUANA BILL IS TOO COMPLEX It's good that a state senator is taking on the issue of medical marijuana regulation, but we question the legislation's details. State Sen. Chris Romer has crafted a 63-page bill that attempts to throw a regulatory harness on the blossoming medical marijuana industry. We appreciate the hard work that went into creating the bill, but our first reaction is to question whether it really ought to be so complex. Romer's draft bill would create three classes of clinic and grower licenses; it would create a medical marijuana review board to look at requests from those younger than 21; and it would allow some medical professionals, such as registered nurses, to become medical marijuana caregivers. And that's just the beginning. It's clear Romer has listened to the constituencies involved, and is trying to devise a bill that professionalizes medical marijuana delivery. Think doctor's office instead of head shop. And we believe that is the way medical marijuana delivery should be structured. That certainly is in keeping with what voters approved in 2000 when they supported medical marijuana use for sick people. Medical marijuana shouldn't be a back-door to legalizing pot, but we have a system now that allows for "patients" to lie to doctors who then, with a wink and a nod, sign off on its use. Yet, that's clearly what we have in Colorado, and the industry is growing by leaps and bounds. It is obvious that lawmakers need to get a handle on the situation. But in looking at the proposed new regulations, licenses, reviews and potential taxes in the legislation, we are left wondering whether it should be so complicated. Colorado is at a crossroads, and lawmakers must decide if they want to return to the system we had before the proliferation of dispensaries or endorse a regulated market of marijuana dispensaries. We are not willing to so quickly give up on the system that seemed to work well enough until this summer. That was a system whereby caregivers were limited to five patients, a framework that did not economically support large-scale medical marijuana dispensaries. We question whether, as some assert, the model would force sick, older people to a dark parking lot to buy medical marijuana from someone they met on the Internet. And Romer admitted to us that the vast majority of the 14 other states that have legalized medical marijuana have a similar limitation on patient loads. Even in the limited patient scenario, it is clear that something would have to be done legislatively to provide legal footing for growers so that quality marijuana could be provided for the truly sick. We also strongly support tightening up the process by which patients get on the registry, and we would like to see a system through which phonies would be culled from the registry over time. We're pleased Romer has opened the discussion with a weighty document that surely will prompt debate, but we think it's a long way from being something legislators ought to approve. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D