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State health officials are concerned about a massive increase in applications to the medical marijuana registry and are evaluating ways to increase oversight.

The health department says it is receiving nearly 2,000 new applications each month — up 5,616 between July 2008 and June 30 — more than doubling the registry over the past three months. As of June, the health department had received 8,918 applications — 4,282 of those applications were received between April and June.

Officials are concerned that doctors are abusing their professional powers in authorizing the applications. They say the majority of the applications are coming from “young men” with chronic pain, suggesting that young recreational pot smokers are abusing the system with the help of corrupt doctors.

“We are evaluating strategies that might allow us to assure that physicians documenting a diagnosis of chronic or severe pain are doing so within the standards of medical care,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ned Calonge.

Disingenuous?

But medical marijuana advocates are calling health officials “disingenuous,” pointing out that they have opposed the medical marijuana registry since 2000 when Colorado voters backed an initiative allowing for medical marijuana.

“I find this frustrating because this health department has a history of using disingenuous tactics in its attempt to undermine medical marijuana laws,” said Brian Vicente, an attorney and executive director of medical marijuana advocacy group Sensible Colorado.

The health department on two separate occasions attempted to limit medical marijuana caregivers to five patients. But Sensible Colorado filed a lawsuit in 2007, which was upheld by District Judge Larry Naves who ruled that the state had imposed the new rules illegally by not holding public hearings, and that the state had made a “capricious decision” to enact the rules.

A public hearing was held last month by the Board of Health to examine a similar change to medical marijuana rules. But the Board narrowly rejected the new rules by a vote of 5-4.

Unfinished business?

Medical marijuana advocates thought they were in the clear following the public hearing, but it appears health officials are not done looking for ways to limit the registry. 

This time, however, they have their eyes set on doctors authorizing the applications, as opposed to caregivers who supply the patients.

Mark Salley, spokesman for the health department, said it is too premature to discuss strategies being discussed to increase oversight. But he added that there is reason to be concerned.

“When we have a situation — such as the one that was testified to at the Board meeting, when a single doctor had signed up 200 patients in a single day for the marijuana registry — it makes us be concerned about potential abuse of the registry,” he said.

Faulty statistics cited

Health officials stated at the public hearing last month that the average age of medical marijuana patients is 24 years old. But when asked by board members for actual data because there was conflicting statistics, the evidence was unavailable.

Vicente says his organization has examined the data and has found the average age of medical marijuana patients to be 41 years old.

“It’s unbelievable, these people are full of this,” said Vicente. “We were trying to get that, we were shocked, we were like, ‘How could it possibly have dropped to 24?’ Statistically that was crazy, and ultimately it was untrue, it was a falsehood furthered by the health department.”

Health officials said their false testimony was the result of a “computer error.”

Statistics released by the health department indicate that from July 2008 through June, 1,792 registry cards were issued to men under age 30, of which 89 percent had the diagnosis of severe pain. They say the “young males” represent 22 percent of all applications received during that time. 

During the last six months of 2008 there was an average of 70 applications per month for men under age 30 with severe pain; in May there were 264 such applications; and in June there were 364.

Attempt to limit registry?

Vicente says he is concerned that health officials are still attempting to limit the registry, which would lead to patients struggling to find care. He points out that more than 900 doctors have written authorizations for medical marijuana.

“It’s Sensible Colorado’s belief that the vast majority of these recommendations are valid,” said Vicente. “Hopefully (health officials) won’t take any action that would lead to less people using the program and infringe on the doctor-patient relationship in any way.”

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