SB 109- Three Doctor Visits?

[rightwinger]

With all the hype around HB 1284, I have to admit that I haven't looked far into SB109. Looking through Mile Hi MMJ Patient (magazine), there's a page hosted by The Herbal Cure that says SB109 makes it so that in order to get your card you have to:
Get Three Doctor Appointments
Full Physical Examination
Full Inspection Of Medical Records.

I was completely unaware of this...I knew that if you were under 21 you had to have two doctor referals and an Inspection...but this article says that the above is for everyone.

Is this just a tactic to get people into their dispensary??
Or
Is this true?


Any info would be great, thanks

The average age of the medical marijuana patient in Colorado is 45 years old. That means there are many that are even older than that--& no we older ones only need one doctor recommendation.

I believe it is two doctors recommendations for minors--meaning people under 21 years of age.

[tlcofcolorado]

Not true.

[tlcofcolorado]

I did take the time to call around to various MMJ supportive doctors yesterday regarding any changes in their policies. Only one, Dr. Turnbow in Boulder, had decided to require two visits as his interpretation of compliance (and an additional cost, now totalling $250). The rest of the doctors, with proper records, were going to continue to review them and consult with the patient only once before making a recommendation based on the State guidelines. They will all "offer" follow-up services, but a patient is not required to do so

[copobo]

this is really what was to be expected. the docs still have the constitutional protections. 3 visits to accomplish a signoff for mmj is unnecessary and a waste of resources, and it can be framed properly for compliance ..

next year, we should legislate that all 21+ people in CO are entitled to be considered medical patients. Under 21's can deal with 2 docs and the current setup.

that would remove the corruption, and allow people to use medical cannabis for their condition of choice. and why not. it's much safer than asprin, and the black market will be gone. (and they tell us now, that is the reason for the war on herb)

[TheHerbalCure]

As a dispensary owner & passionate caregiver I will do my best not to "sell" patients on The Herbal Cure when posting to this forum, although we do rock!!! (Home of the 4-gram 1/8th, starting at $35...c'mon!)

Anyway, Senate Bill 109 went into effect the day it was signed by Governor Ritter. Luckily, during appropriations, the senate did not write in a specific number of required doctor office visits...the final version of the bill broadly & somewhat unclearly requires an initial exam with a physician in good standing, including a physical and "follow-up" care as required by the physician.

It is now up to each individual doctor to cooperate with the new "bona-fide physician-patient relationship" as defined in Senate Bill 109. The Herbal Cure offers referrals to 3, (soon to be 5), different different doctor's offices in the Denver-Metro area which comply with SB-109, all of which accept health insurance for medical marijuana related visits.

Most of the doctor's we have spoken with will require 1-2 visits, including a physical examination. For patient's with health insurance the process may wind up being more cost effective. Unfortunately, patient's without health insurance will have to come completely out of pocket for their visits, but it appears there are many compassionate mmj-friendly doctors that will work out a reasonable overall fee.

The most important thing for patients, doctors, & caregivers to know is that with Senate Bill 109 in effect no longer is any dispensary or caregiver, in anyway, allowed to collect fees related to mmj licensing. It is now strictly a referral to a doctor that is mmj-friendly.

HB-1284 is a whole different animal all together. The first compliance cut-off date of the bill is July 1, 2010, with several other compliance cut-off dates spotted in throughout the next year.

The Herbal Cure is already in compliance with HB-1284 because we were able to plan our medical marijuana & health center around a lot of the regulation, rather than adapt to it. Obviously, there are many medical marijuana centers & caregivers scrambling to put together a model that will meet the new requirements.

Unfortunately, many medical marijuana centers will not survive, leaving many medical marijuana patients displaced. All prospective patients are welcome to stop in to The Herbal Cure for a tour of our 10,000 square foot medical marijuana & health center to see what we're all about and have your concerns addressed. We have off street private-parking in a really cool building located in Washington Park at 985 S Logan Street, just off I-25 at Broadway. Also, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding the new laws at [email protected] or (303)777-9333.

Be advised, some of our employees may not have the same level of knowledge as others, but they will be courteous enough to direct you to someone within our organization that can get you the information you need.

These new regulations are ridiculous for anyone who understands marijuana is a valid medication. It is unfortunate they passed, leaving us all wondering how this stuff happens when the people are supposed to control the government...not the other way around. Either way, more progress has been made in the last few years than I ever thought would be in my lifetime.

Please continue to contact your municipal, state, & federal authorities to keep them aware that the majority of Americans believe access to medical marijuana is a right, not an option!

[COzigzag]

The most important thing for patients, doctors, & caregivers to know is that with Senate Bill 109 in effect no longer is any dispensary or caregiver, in anyway, allowed to collect fees related to mmj licensing. It is now strictly a referral to a doctor that is mmj-friendly.

Does this mean, as a caregiver, I can no longer assist my low-income patients with the funding side of their licenses and doctor's visits?

Not saying I would do it again but maybe with 1 patient.

[TheHerbalCure]

As a caregiver, you may still assist your patients with the fees they will have to pay. Under this scenario, you are just offering a compassionate caregiver discount of sorts.

What you want to avoid is getting in the middle of the transaction between a patient & doctor. For example, you may not collect a fee from a patient, and then pay the doctor for licensing.

New patients must contact the doctors directly and payment is only to be taken at doctor's offices, not at Medical Marijuana Centers. Doctors cannot offer caregivers or MMC's referral fees or vice versa.

Since Senate Bill 109 went into effect, The Herbal Cure has successfully referred several potential medical marijuana patients to mmj-friendly doctors. Many patients have already received recommendations for medical marijuana in compliance with the new law.

Compared with some of the licensing tactics I heard about last year, this bill may actually create a safer & more professional environment for getting licensed without much more cost or difficulty.

If you need any assistance finding mmj-friendly doctors, feel free to contact us at (303)777-WEED (9333) or visit us at 985 S Logan Street, 80209. We are in the gigantic building that looks like an old Western Saloon behind the red antique caboose in Washington Park.

We offer our patients off-street private parking and are the "Home of the 4-Gram 1/8th"! I sometimes think people should just come in to see how cool our building is. But, inevitably it becomes difficult not to make a purchase when you stare at 45+ beautiful strains of medical marijuana, 10+ types of SuperMelt BubbleHash, edibles you've never experienced, THC-infused beverages that put beer to shame, and massages that you can actually afford.

Anyway, we know several doctors that understand marijuana is a legitimate medication for a variety of ailments and are willing to prescribe it on that basis. We will never stop helping patients gain access to the medication they need, whether they purchase their medication from us or not!!! We just have a few more rules to follow now...

[COzigzag]

Hey Herbal, that really clears things up for me.

Thought I might have to go to the tank for assisting patients.

These bills are crazy to try to interpret.

Thanks!