Pubdate: Wed, 21 Dec 2011
Source: Vail Daily (CO)
Copyright: 2011 Vail Daily
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wo3Ts7AI
Website: http://www.vaildaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3233
Author: Kraige Kinney

JUST SAY NO TO FOR-PROFIT POT SHOPS

For-Profit Pot a Mistake

In 2000, I voted for the constitutional amendment that allowed 
marijuana to be used, with a physician's advice, as a treatment option.

Like many people in Colorado, I felt that those people who had a 
debilitating disease such as M.S., Lou Gehrig's disease, HIV-AIDS or 
the like should be allowed to use any treatment option that would 
help to alleviate the effects of those diseases.

I was confident in the knowledge that should a loved one or friend or 
any other Coloradoan truly need marijuana as a treatment option, they 
could obtain it by growing their own or through not for-profit 
care-givers as envisioned in Amendment 20. For seven years that model 
of not for-profit care-givers and growing your own marijuana worked.

Up until 2007, the Colorado Medical Marijuana registry had 
approximately 1,700 patients who were well served by the system in place.

Since 2008, when for-profit marijuana dispensaries started to open, 
the Colorado Marijuana registry has swelled to 159,559 "patients" today.

According to the Colorado Department of Health Medical Marijuana 
Registry, the majority (68 percent) of "patients" are male with an 
average age of 41, and the fastest growing age group for debilitating 
disease is the 22 to 35 year age group.

Over 83,000 "patients" have received cards for severe pain, followed 
by 15,518 for muscle spasms, and 10,804 for nausea. All three of 
these numbers are significantly higher than the total medical 
marijuana patient count up until 2008.

Over the last 16 months there have been two instances where local 
students were found in possession of marijuana that had originally 
been purchased at the local Eagle dispensary.

Since a for-profit marijuana dispensary opened in Eagle, the number 
of marijuana related police contacts has increased each year at both 
area middle schools and Eagle Valley High School.

Adolescent use of drugs increases as acceptability and access 
increase. I didn't and I don't believe most people envisioned a 
for-profit dispensary system to deliver medical marijuana.

If the dispensary in Eagle is voted down on Jan. 3, patients in and 
around Eagle will still be able to receive marijuana from 
not-for-profit caregivers or to grow their own. I don't believe a 
for-profit marijuana dispensary makes Eagle a better place.

I urge Eagle citizens to vote "no" on Jan. 3.

Kraige Kinney

Eagle
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart