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Our Future Summit presents
Medical Marijuana in Summit County: Therapy or Threat?
7-9 pm, Thursday, Feb. 11
Summit County Community & Senior Center, Peak One Drive, County Commons, Frisco
SUMMIT COUNTY — A local roundtable will weigh in on the growing medical marijuana debate Thursday evening to try and help determine whether medical marijuana is legitimate therapy or a threat to public safety.
The event, sponsored by Our Future Summit, is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Summit County Community & Senior Center on Peak One Drive near the County Commons.
The forum is designed to provide an opportunity to discuss the implications of allowing commerce in this controversial commodity, said organizer Sandy Briggs.
Briggs said that no formal presentations are scheduled, but he’s asked local law enforcement officials to attend, including Summit County Sheriff John Minor. State Senator Dan Gibbs has also been invited to provide an update on the status of state legislation.
Other guests could include Jerry Olson, owner of Medical Marijuana of the Rockies, as well as a representative of Citizens for a Drug Free Summit, Briggs said.
To give interested citizens a framework for the discussion, Our Future Summit compiled a fact sheet on medical marijuana in Colorado, including the latest statistics from the state’s medical marijuana registry, including number of patients by county and a breakdown of the various conditions reported by patients. Please scroll down to see the state information.
Locally, Breckenridge, Frisco and Silverthorne have enacted statutes regulating medical marijuana dispensaries within their jurisdictions. Dillon and Summit County have delayed action, pending changes in state law.
The Colorado Legislature is considering a measure that would enable people to exercise their constitutional right to obtain marijuana for legitimate medical purposes while discouraging recreational user abuse.
For additional information on this event, contact Sandy Briggs at OurFutureSummit@aol.com or 970-389-0987.
The Colorado Medical Marijuana Registry Program
In the November 2000 general election, Coloradoans passed Amendment 20, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) was tasked with implementing and administering the Medical Marijuana Registry program. In March of 2001, the State of Colorado Board of Health approved the Rules and Regulations pertaining to the administration of the program, and on June 1st, 2001, the Registry began accepting and processing applications for Registry Identification cards.
Statistics of the registry (as of September 30, 2009) include: • 19,691 new patient applications have been received to date since the registry began operating in June 2001.
Twenty-four (24) applications have been denied, 21 cards have been revoked, 236 patients have died, and 2,054 cards have expired, bringing the total number of patients who currently possess valid Registry ID cards to 17,356.
• Seventy-three percent of approved applicants are male.
• The average age of all patients is 40. Currently eight patients are minors (under the age of 18).
• Fifty-seven percent of patients reside in the Denver-metro and area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas & Jefferson counties), with the remainder of patients found in counties throughout Colorado.
• Patients on the Registry represent all the debilitating conditions covered under Amendment 20. Severe pain is a reported condition for 90% of all registrants; muscle spasms are the second-most reported condition at 30%.
• Sixty-seven percent of patients have designated a primary care-giver (someone who has significant responsibility for managing the patient’s care).
• Over 800 different physicians have signed for patients in Colorado. In addition to administering the Registry, CDPHE has been charged with accepting and reviewing petitions to add conditions to the current list of debilitating medical conditions/symptoms. To date, four petitions have been received, one for Parkinson’s disease, one for Asthma, one for Anxiety and another for Bi-Polar Disorder.
All petitions were subsequently denied due to lack of scientific evidence that treatment with marijuana might have a beneficial effect. There have been three marijuana-related convictions of patients on the Registry, and no physicians have experienced federal reprisals.
However, reluctance to participate due to the inconsistencies between state and federal marijuana laws has been expressed by doctors and patients alike. No general funds have been designated for this program, and the Amendment allows CDPHE to collect fees to cover the administrative costs of administering the program.
Currently the fee is $90, and is evaluated annually by CDPHE. The fee was lowered from $110 on June 1, 2007.
Numerous questions have arisen regarding interpretation of statutory language. The law does not clearly state where marijuana plants may be grown or if two or more patients and/or care-givers may share one growing space. Statutory language also places certain burdens upon local and state law enforcement officers, such as the requirement of keeping alive plants that are confiscated until a resolution is reached (i.e. a decision not to prosecute, the dismissal of charges, an acquittal, etc.).
Table I: County Information
| County | Number of Patients | Percent of Patients |
| Adams | 1,167 | 7% |
| Alamosa | 18 | <1% |
| Arapahoe | 1,472 | 8% |
| Archuleta | 39 | <1% |
| Baca | 13 | <1% |
| Bent | 7 | <1% |
| Boulder | 1,982 | 11% |
| Broomfield | 176 | 1% |
| Chaffee | 54 | <1% |
| Cheyenne | 6 | <1% |
| Clear Creek | 59 | <1% |
| Conejos | 4 | <1% |
| Costilla | 4 | <1% |
| Crowley | 13 | <1% |
| Custer | 11 | <1% |
| Delta | 117 | 1% |
| Denver | 2,467 | 14% |
| Dolores | 13 | <1% |
| Douglas | 582 | 3% |
| Eagle | 266 | 2% |
| El Paso | 1,540 | 9% |
| Elbert | 53 | <1% |
| Fremont | 112 | 1% |
| Garfield | 251 | 1% |
| Gilpin | 80 | <1% |
| Grand | 83 | <1% |
| Gunnison | 77 | <1% |
| Hinsdale | 4 | <1% |
| Huerfano | 47 | <1% |
| Jackson | * | * |
| Jefferson | 2,007 | 12% |
| Kiowa | * | * |
| Kit Carson | 5 | <1% |
| La Plata | 166 | 1% |
| Lake | 71 | <1% |
| Larimer | 1,584 | 9% |
| Las Animas | 32 | <1% |
| Lincoln | 7 | <1% |
| Logan | 23 | <1% |
| Mesa | 574 | 3% |
| Mineral | * | * |
| Moffat | 18 | <1% |
| Montezuma | 43 | <1% |
| Montrose | 95 | 1% |
| Morgan | 19 | <1% |
| Otero | 59 | <1% |
| Ouray | 17 | <1% |
| Park | 134 | 1% |
| Phillips | 11 | <1% |
| Pitkin | 138 | 1% |
| Prowers | 8 | <1% |
| Pueblo | 256 | 1% |
| Rio Blanco | 13 | <1% |
| Rio Grande | 10 | <1% |
| Routt | 80 | <1% |
| Saguache | 37 | <1% |
| San Juan | * | * |
| San Miguel | 31 | <1% |
| Sedgwick | 3 | <1% |
| Summit | 272 | 2% |
| Teller | 157 | 1% |
| Washington | 6 | <1% |
| Weld | 752 | 4% |
| Yuma | 6 | <1% |
* Indicates fewer than three patients in each category Table II: Conditions
| Reported Condition | Number of Patients Reporting Condition | Percent of Patients Reporting Condition** |
| Cachexia | 414 | 2% |
| Cancer | 492 | 3% |
| Glaucoma | 188 | 1% |
| HIV/AIDS | 192 | 1% |
| Muscle Spasms | 5,273 | 30% |
| Seizures | 482 | 3% |
| Severe Pain | 15,654 | 90% |
| Severe Nausea | 3,612 | 21% |
**Does not add to 100% as some patients report using medical marijuana for more than one debilitating medical condition. Table III: User Characteristics
| Sex | Percent on Registry | Average Age** |
| Male | 73% | 39 |
| Female | 27% | 42 |
** The overall average age of all patients is 40 years old. SOURCE: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
Filed under: Health, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | health, medical marijuana, Our Future Summit, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News
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