Pubdate: Wed, 25 Mar 2015 Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO) Copyright: 2015 The Gazette Contact: http://www.gazette.com/sections/opinion/submitletter/ Website: http://www.gazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/165 Authors: Pula Davis, Wayne Laugesen, Christine Tatum Series: Special report, 'Clearing the Haze:' COST MAY BE BIGGEST HURDLE TO RED CARD Critics of Colorado's medical marijuana program say it's a fraud starting with the application process to get a red card, which allows a person to buy and use marijuana. Is getting on the state's Medical Marijuana Registry as easy as everyone says? The Gazette decided to see what the process involves. Applying for a red card was a little more involved than buying cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, but not much. The requirement of a doctor's examination and approval, for example, was as simple as having a quick cup of coffee with a stranger. It took $95 and 46 minutes - maybe five of those with the doctor - to get a recommendation to use medical marijuana. No stethoscope, no blood pressure reading, no checking of the pulse. Making an appointment was easy: Google "how to get a red card in Colorado Springs" to find local clinics, sign up online and you'll get a phone call and a text within minutes to confirm an appointment. Don't have any medical records? Shouldn't be a problem. Applicants need only bring an ID, a $15 money order for the state application fee and $80 cash to cover the appointment and notary services. All application paperwork is on-site. The waiting room in one Colorado Springs MMJ clinic was packed with men and women, from 20-somethings to senior citizens, on a recent afternoon. One man worried he wouldn't qualify but was quickly assured he should see the doctor to be sure. Office staff members were polite, professional and efficient. Upon arrival, patients were asked for a driver's license, which was photocopied and returned, and given a clipboard with a sheet from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment titled "Medical Marijuana Registry - Application for Registration Card." Instructions: Fill out lines 1 through 12 only, which consists of the usual personal data - name, address, date of birth. "Line 8 says County, Not Country," each person was instructed. "Please put El Paso." Two other sheets required signatures, one detailing health privacy laws. Our diagnosis after explaining our symptoms: severe pain. Advice: Try eating a very small amount of an edibles cookie before bed. With that, the physician paperwork was signed. Next step: Hand over $80. A packet was put together with everything necessary for a red card, including a notarized copy of the application, a driver's license copy, the $15 money order and the physician certification sheet, and placed in an addressed envelope to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Final instructions: Send the envelope certified mail and keep the receipt. Apparently some dispensaries accept the receipt and a copy of the paperwork as a temporary red card. [sidebar] Local Red Card Holders The number of people on the Medical Marijuana Registry has jumped in El Paso and Teller counties: Year El Paso Teller Dec. 31, 2014 17,986 936 Dec. 31, 2013 15,320 855 Dec. 31, 2012 14,888 922 Dec. 31, 2011 10,408 737 Dec. 31, 2010* 12,173 949 Dec. 31, 2009 2,947 300 * First year after federal memorandum Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Day 4: MEDICAL MARIJUANA Medical marijuana sales in Colorado exploded after October 2009 as the result of a federal memorandum stating that resources likely would not be used to prosecute people involved in the business, which remains illegal under federal law. Gazette research confirmed the medical marijuana market continues to grow as the result of porous regulation and a favorable price differential versus retail marijuana sales. The issue is big and complex and may derail legitimate efforts to conduct research on parts of the marijuana plant that could produce new, clinically proven medicines. Contact the Gazette: Email: Call: 719.636.0291 About the series The reporting team: editorial board members Pula Davis and Wayne Laugesen and local reporter Christine Tatum. After the first year of recreational pot sales, The Gazette takes a comprehensive look at the unintended consequences of legalizing sales and use of recreational marijuana. Day 1: Colorado has a fragile scheme for regulating legal marijuana and implementing a state drug prevention strategy. Day 2: One of the suppositions about legalizing pot was that underground sales would be curtailed, but officials say there is evidence of a thriving black market. Day 3: One teen's struggle to overcome his marijuana addiction shows how devastating the effects of the drug can be for younger, more vulnerable users. Day 4: Amid the hoopla about recreational marijuana sales, the medical marijuana industry is flourishing and has its own set of complicated concerns. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom