State lawmakers OK $2 million to eliminate backlog on medical-marijuana applications

DENVER - 9Wants to Know has learned lawmakers have approved an extra $2 million for the state to hire 56 temporary workers to process a backlog of 63,000 medical marijuana applications that grows by the day, according to budget records.



While state law requires the applications to be processed within 35 days, it is currently taking the state six to eight months.

"The backlog has continued to grow at a faster pace than anticipated and the authorized funding is no longer sufficient. This backlog must be eliminated," wrote the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to the Joint Budget Committee in June.

The department expects to receive 150,000 new medical marijuana applications a year based on the number of applications it receives each day. That is equivalent to everyone in the City of Fort Collins getting a medical marijuana license every year.

The Fort Collins population was estimated at 136,509 in the 2008 U.S. Census.

According to the CDPHE, 63,100 pieces of mail have not been opened, and 31,400 applications have been opened and evaluated, but the data has not been entered into the system.

The department is not updating any database with change information such as new addresses or new caregiver information at this time because of the backlog.

The request for the emergency fund comes partly after the department was given subpoenas to verify if two patients on the registry were truly registered. Because the database is not complete nor up-to-date, the department was unable to verify the status of the patients, according to budget records.

With the $2,022,229 to hire 56 temporary workers, the department hopes to eliminate the backlog in eight months.

A 9Wants to Know investigation found that delay in processing the forms has opened the door to widespread fraud because patients can use copies of the paperwork sent into the state for their license while they wait for their official license.

Dr. Phil Nguyen, whose signature was forged at least 15 times on medical marijuana applications, now uses a red stamp near his signature and special copy paper.

"When you copy it, everything says 'copy', 'copy', 'copy,'" Dr. Nguyen of Happy Clinic Denver said. "I'm trying to do good for the community. I'm trying to do a legitimate business, help patients get their medical marijuana licenses and here's someone using my name to fake and forge paperwork."

9Wants to Know also found instances where doctors pre-signed their forms and never examined patients.

Larry Dickinson of Denver says he and four others went to visit Dr. Andy Fine of Littleton, but instead of seeing the doctor, a nurse talked to them, then handed each of them medical marijuana paperwork that had been pre-signed by Fine.

"I didn't see the doctor, I didn't talk to the doctor, the nurse didn't hardly ask any questions, it was two or three minutes and I was good to go," Dickinson said. "I see what a joke and how unregulated this is, where a physician can not see medical history and not see anything, and then a member of their staff does that for them. It's all about getting that $130."

Fine, who is president of the Arapahoe-Douglas Medical Society, would not answer any calls or e-mails from 9Wants to Know.

Doctors, patients and dispensaries affected by fraud in the system think the state needs to be held accountable.

The Blue Sky Care Connection dispensary owner had to pay $8,000 out of her own pocket to have 100 patients re-examined after she learned from a patient that their medical marijuana applications were being rejected by the state because the doctor who signed them has a restricted medical license.

"I called the health department and I said, 'So you're not notifying the doctor, you're not notifying the caregiver, you're not notifying the dispensary, so I'm banking on the fact that my patient's going to be truthful and tell me that their paperwork's been denied?' And they said, 'Yes, m'am,'" Laura Lowden, owner of Blue Sky Care, said. "I'm irritated and annoyed that the state did not have better control on what the doctors were doing."

Dr. Alan Mishler signed paperwork for Blue Sky Care in December 2009 and January 2010. Lowden hired him after he was referred by Cannabis Centers for Alternative Wellness which is now out of business.

Colorado medical board records show Mishler was admonished in 2007 and limited his practice to performing medical evaluations. Mishler, who did not return any calls for comment, is suing the state, claiming he is being prohibited from signing medical marijuana applications.

If you have any news tips, please e-mail 9Wants to Know investigator Deborah Sherman at [email protected].

(KUSA-TV © 2010 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | More money to fight medical marijuana backlog

Anybody else getting concerned with the whole privacy/confidentiality?

Seems like a lot of different hands involved now.....

confidentiality?

hahhahahahahhahahhahahha
:rastasmoke: :mad: :pimp:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by davo420

Anybody else getting concerned with the whole privacy/confidentiality?

Seems like a lot of different hands involved now.....

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I for one am very concerned about this as well. From using a 3rd party contract vendor via the Dept. of Treasury, to temp workers, to a long term plan to have a contracted agency deal w/ submitted apps. and ultimately the Dept. of Revenue being allowed acccses, yeah, not what I originally agreed to when I submitted my application and certification to the CDPHE. based on Amendment 20.

"â??No person shall be permitted to gain access to any information about patients in the state health agency's confidential registry, or any information otherwise maintained by the state health agency about physicians and primary care-givers, except for authorized employees of the state health agency in the course of their official duties and authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies which have stopped or arrested a person who claims to be engaged in the medical use of marijuana and in possession of a registry identification card or its functional equivalent, pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subsection (3). Authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies shall be granted access to the information contained within the state health agency's confidential registry only for the purpose of verifying that an individual who has presented a registry identification card to a state or local law enforcement official is lawfully in possession of such card.â?�

I'm not a conspiracy buff, but I do believe there is an agenda to severely restrict the availability of medical marijuana w/ in the state of Colorado. Our legislature, city councils, the Medical Board will endorse MMJ to a degree, but ultimately believe this is a medicine of "last resort" and are actively ensuring the Registry will ultimately reflect that two years from now.

All this ballyhoo over a plant that not only has documented medical therapeutic value, that has no toxic overdose level, and when is used responsibly recreationally has no ill effects, well,
I'm preacing to the choir here.

CDPHE: FY 2010-11 Budget Request

.02

The state takes confidentiality fairly seriously. I don't have any worries on that score, or no more worries than I have about my tax records or the DMV or my employer. A20 is very clear in this regard, which is good for us. And FWIW, when the state hires temps, they usually come from a pool.