DENVER (AP) - Coloradans who are terminally ill can soon begin making written requests for life-ending prescription drugs.
The Denver Post reports the voter-approved law goes into effect as soon as Gov. John Hickenlooper certifies the Nov. 8 election results, which is expected by the end of the year.
Kat West with Compassion & Choices, which ran the end-of-life options campaign in Colorado, says she expects people to begin requesting prescriptions on the first day the law takes effect.
The law requires that a mentally competent patient have a six-month prognosis and get two doctors to approve requests for life-ending medication. It requires doctors to discuss alternatives with the patient as well as safe storage, tracking and disposal of lethal drugs, recognizing that a patient can change his or her mind.
Terminally ill patients must self-administer the medication.
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