Medical-marijuana advocates raise privacy concerns

Medical-marijuana advocates raise privacy concerns - The Denver Post

A lineup of medical-marijuana activists and business owners said today the state's proposed new rules for the cannabis industry threaten patient privacy.

Requirements that transactions at dispensaries be videotaped, purchases be documented and personal information be recorded could cause many of the state's more than 115,000 medical-marijuana patients to opt out of the system and return to buying pot on the street, advocates said. State officials say details of the purchases would be kept in a secure online database, but medical-marijuana advocates pointed to recent WikiLeaks disclosures as evidence that even guarded information can become public.

The advocates expressed their concerns this morning at the beginning of a two-day hearing on the rules, proposed by the state Revenue Department to regulate the thousands of medical-marijuana businesses that have sprung up in the last two years. About 30 advocates spoke during a public comment section of the hearing this morning.

"I am very concerned that many individuals ... will, due to the risk of having their information leaked, return to the black market," said Bruce Grainger, a dispensary owner who served on an advisory committee that helped craft some of the rules.

Grainger was not the only rule-writer who said he was concerned about aspects of the final draft. Jessica LeRoux â?? who owns Twirling Hippy Confections, which makes marijuana-infused pastries, and who was part of the advisory committee â?? said she was concerned about the system of remotely monitored security cameras dispensaries and other medical-marijuana facilities would be required to install. The systems would require technology that might not be available in rural areas of the state, she said.

Greg Goldfogel, another marijuana-infused products maker and advisory committee member, said he worried the so-called "70-30 rule," which requires dispensaries to grow 70 percent of the marijuana sold in their stores, had not been defined well enough.

"I believe that this work has been historic, effective and leaves a lot more work to be done," he said.

Like Goldfogel, a number of advocates took a measured approach to critiquing the proposed rules. Rob Corry, an attorney best known for fiery defenses of medical marijuana, said a number of the rules are positive.

"If some of these regulations go into place, hopefully what we'll see is the federal government bully will stay away from Colorado and leave us alone," he said.

Still, Corry said he was concerned about the privacy issues. One rule would require dispensaries to videotape all medical-marijuana purchases, including pictures of the medical-marijuana license of the patient making the purchse. Corry said police officers could gain access to that and use the information to harrass patients.

Others used stronger language in criticizing the proposed rules.

"These rules represent the fear and ignorance that led to the prohibition of this plant," said Evan Anderson, owner of 14er Holistics, a Boulder dispensary.

He said the rules would make it harder to buy medical-marijuana at a dispensary in Colorado than to buy pseudoephedrine at a pharmacy, even though the latter can be used to make methamphetamine.

"We want to be regulated," said Delita Boyd, owner of MaryJanes Medicinal dispensary in Dacono. "We want to follow the rules. But we want to be treated fairly. ... Just because of the business we're in, we shouldn't be treated any differently than any other small mom-and-pop shops."

The hearing is scheduled to continue through tomorrow. It is being held at the Jefferson County Justice Center in Golden.

I will never again renew my license. Hopefully, my info will be snowed under by all of the additional info now being required of license-holders,growers, retailers, etc.

Today's meeting didn't go much better. Hopefully some late shows will come for the 1PM comment portion.

What I did see, which normally never happens, is caregivers and MMC's having a showdown in public. There was even booing.

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Originally Posted by TheReleafCenter

I still think there is a difference between medical grade and connoisseur quality, and that the latter is far more discussed on here. For what it's worth, some of the strains I've seen with the least jar appeal have had the highest potency. What is pleasing to the eye isn't always the best smoke.

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YouTube - Medical

Marijuana Enforcement Division 1-27-11 pt 1 CO HB 1284

For more info: Cannabis Therapy Institutue - - Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Research, Education and Advocacy in Colorado

From 1-27-2011 at the Jefferson County government building- the Colorado Department of Revenue debuts a new badge, with the words "criminal" and "medical marijuana" on them. This is Part one, please watch part two for more of what happened and some of the great testimony from Colorado citizens who are mad as heck, and not gonna take it anymore. Smile- your on 16,000 state monitored candid cameras! :)

The stated intention of the author of HB 10-1284 (Sen. Chris Romer, now candidate for Denver Mayor) was to put 80% of dispensaries out of business. These new regulations are part of that plan to shut the industry down.

(I don't see part II up yet.)

YouTube - cannabistherapy's Channel

Part 2 is up. The young man working with Phoenix Tears made me proud.

Wasnt a clinic owner in there complaining caregivers were undercutting them?

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Originally Posted by Zedleppelin

Wasnt a clinic owner in there complaining caregivers were undercutting them?

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is that a surprise? the state forced the price down from caregivers: demand went down, they could not pay the electricity bill by having a good relationship with an MMC, and up for mmc's: costs went up and patients are scared away.

its the economics of over-regulation and pushing patients into the shadows.