Welcome to the Shroomery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!
|
 veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 13,985
Loc: 
|
 [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops 
#14676737 - 06/26/11 07:07 PM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
|
|
State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops
June 26, 2011 - coloradoan.com
The watchful eyes of state regulators are about to get more intent on Colorado's medical marijuana industry.
Regulations for the production and sale of medical marijuana that go into effect Friday include the installation of video surveillance equipment that can be remotely monitored by state inspectors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Employees of medical marijuana dispensaries and grow operations must be credentialed by the Medical Marijuana Enforce-ment Division of the state Department of Revenue after going through an FBI background check.
The movement of marijuana has to be tracked and documented from "seed to sale." For example, when a package is moved from a growing facility to a dispensary, it must be weighed and certified at both locations, all under the gaze of video cameras.
The rules will result in higher costs for marijuana businesses, said Steve Ackerman, owner of Organic Alternatives in Fort Collins and president of the Northern Colorado Medical Marijuana Council. The state-mandated video systems alone will cost businesses $20,000 to $25,000.
And the level of scrutiny from the state feels a lot like "Big Brother is watching," he said. But if that's what it takes to stay in business, centers will follow the rules.
"Although this might be the most highly regulated and watched industry in this state, I believe it is for the safety of our customers and our businesses to have these things in place," he said. "I agree with it."
The stringent rules might be enough to drive some dispensaries and grows around the state out of business, Ackerman said, although he's heard no indication local businesses might have to shut down.
Fort Collins resident Tom Spratte, a quadriplegic who uses medical marijuana to control spasms in his legs, said the tighter controls shouldn't adversely affect patients who use centers.
The rules provide a level of security that patients appreciate, he said. And a center that conducts its business with professionalism inspires confidence in customers.
"I need a place where I can go and get a quality product and feel safe," he said. "I can't grow for myself ... and I wouldn't want to go through someone other than a center."
State regulation of medical marijuana falls under the auspices of two agencies: The Department of Public Health and Environment deals with patients and doctors while the Department of Revenue enforces regulations on businesses and issues licenses.
The Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division plans to set up offices statewide to monitor compliance with state law, including an office in Fort Collins, said public information officer Julie Postlethwait.
The local office will have three or four enforcement officers and could open by the end of the summer. The officers will conduct scheduled and unscheduled visits to marijuana businesses to see if they are following the state's many regulations.
Postlethwait said some centers around the state are not likely to be fully in compliance with the new regulations by Friday. But if centers are clearly moving toward meeting the regulations, the agency will work with them and show some leniency.
The state-mandated video equipment, which in many cases is replacing relatively new systems, is expensive and takes time to procure and install, she said. And the licensing of workers has been slowed because of a last-minute rush of applications.
But at some point, businesses will have to be fully in compliance or "we are going to shut them down," she said.
To use medical marijuana legally, a patient must have a recommendation from a physician and a state registry card. Registry cards must be renewed annually.
The registry of medical marijuana patients maintained by the health department continues to grow, said registrar Ron Hyman. As of May 31, the state had 127,444 patients on the registry. Of those, 8,508 were from Larimer County.
The list is likely to keep growing even with the increase in state regulation, Hyman said.
Beginning Friday, the health department will require caregivers who grow marijuana for up to five patients to register. Caregivers also will have provide care to patients beyond providing them with marijuana, such as assisting in cooking or transportation.
Some caregivers are telling their clients to remove references to them from registry records, said Terri Gomez of HealthWise Colorado, because they don't want the state's scrutiny and face inspections by law enforcement officers.
Gomez works with local centers and physicians in educating patients on how to use medical marijuana.
The industry has changed dramatically in the past two years, she said. A center's clientele is not the stereotypical "young dude with a backward baseball cap" but people with chronic medical conditions.
"These are people who want their lives back," she said.
|
 Azure Essence
ॐ |RealEyesRealizeRealLies| ॐ
Registered: 10/03/10
Posts: 2,614
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 4 hours, 12 seconds
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: veggie]
#14676863 - 06/26/11 07:32 PM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
|
|
Such a fucking pointless waste of resources
--------------------
The only time you look into your neighbour’s bowl is to see if your neighbour has enough. You never look into your neighbour’s bowl to see if he has more than you do.
oneBREATHmeditation
If you would like to rate me up, please just visit or subscribe to my blog above. If you would like to rate me down, suck my fucking cock.
|
mikehauncho
Registered: 06/17/09
Posts: 567
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops *DELETED* [Re: Azure Essence]
#14677100 - 06/26/11 08:17 PM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
|
|
Post deleted by mikehaunchoReason for deletion: law enforcement
|
Azure Essence
ॐ |RealEyesRealizeRealLies| ॐ
Registered: 10/03/10
Posts: 2,614
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 4 hours, 12 seconds
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: mikehauncho]
#14677526 - 06/26/11 09:38 PM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
|
|
Yeah, there's a good point. I'm just not sure what the ultimate purpose is
--------------------
The only time you look into your neighbour’s bowl is to see if your neighbour has enough. You never look into your neighbour’s bowl to see if he has more than you do.
oneBREATHmeditation
If you would like to rate me up, please just visit or subscribe to my blog above. If you would like to rate me down, suck my fucking cock.
|
2jew4u
Stranger
Registered: 04/07/11
Posts: 1,014
Last seen: 9 months, 8 days
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: Azure Essence]
#14686210 - 06/28/11 12:08 PM (10 months, 23 days ago) |
|
|
Whats funny is that- they all ow Pharmacys to send meds though the mail-know a couple techs that said they get their stuff from ups etc. LOL What happened to my 10,000 oxy pills ,got lost in the mail.
|
PassiveAgressive
Sleepy-_-kinoko!
Registered: 10/16/09
Posts: 924
Loc: Tueri honorare saltus
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: 2jew4u]
#14687313 - 06/28/11 03:51 PM (10 months, 23 days ago) |
|
|
--------------------
(\___/)
(= ‘.’=)
(”)__(”) 
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.
|
Brainiac
Rogue Scientist
Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 13,180
Loc: 與您的女朋
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: PassiveAgressive]
#14688356 - 06/28/11 07:28 PM (10 months, 23 days ago) |
|
|
The state should pay for it... 
--------------------
 Fair is Fair 
|
Rebirtha
I really like bread
Registered: 09/21/03
Posts: 5,583
Loc: over there
Last seen: 2 days, 22 hours
|
Re: [CO] State ramps up scrutiny of medical marijuana shops [Re: Brainiac]
#14690591 - 06/29/11 07:08 AM (10 months, 22 days ago) |
|
|
yeah put the burden on the tax payer? No. Unnecessary regulation especially after this stuff becomes legal.
| |
|
|
You cannot start new topics / You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled / BBCode is enabled
Moderator: veggie
661 topic views. 2 members, 17 guests and 1 web crawlers are browsing this forum.
[ Toggle Favorite | Print Topic ]
| | |
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit 
Reply 
