Staying Healthy

Medical Marijuana Law To Take Effect

Questions Continue After Supreme Court Ruling

State health officials are ready to register patients for the medical-marijuana law that takes effect Friday, but doctors and lawyers are leery. The ID cards are ready and the applications are printed, said Carol Garrett, who helped coordinate the state health department's preparations to implement the law. The problem is how a U.S. Supreme Court ruling will affect Colorado's voter-approved law allowing patients to use marijuana for medical purposes, with doctor approval. The Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that federal anti-drug laws do not exempt ill patients. The ruling left Colorado and eight other states that legalized medical marijuana to sort out the decision's effect on their laws. Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar is reviewing the decision to determine its effect on Colorado law. He has warned that patients who use the marijuana may face federal prosecution. Doctors are nervous, said Dr. Frank Sargent, a member of Coloradans Against Legalizing Marijuana. He said they have reason to be. Long-term effects of using the drug haven't been documented, he said. "I'm not sure what liability carriers will say. And I don't think we'll know that for the next few months."

See Both Sides Of The Debate Some people use the drug to ease the side effects of various medical treatments and relieve symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other illnesses. Last November, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure legalizing the medical use of marijuana. The law, set to take effect June 1, would allow patients to have a maximum of 2 ounces of marijuana, or six plants, including three flowering plants. The state plans to sell $140 licenses to each person who uses the drug for medical purposes. The law makes no provisions for legally buying or selling marijuana, and doctors do not write prescriptions for the drug. Instead, doctors must sign a form saying that marijuana could help a patient battling specified illnesses. The Supreme Court ruling was aimed at cooperatives formed in California to distribute marijuana to patients. Previous Story: