How To Get Medical Marijuana

Posts Tagged ‘colorado’

Colorado was an early adopter of a legalized medical marijuana program, and in the last 10 plus years thousands of residents with qualifying conditions have been able to get medical marijuana identification cards to control their pain and suffering. According to the state, 180,925 residents have applied to the program, with 98,910 possessing valid registry cards as of May, 2012. But it’s not just medical marijuana garnering attention in the Rocky Mountain State – residents are getting ready to vote on Amendment 64, which would legalize marijuana and provide the same regulations as those for alcohol. The end result? A cool $60 million to $100 million in state coffers.

As is the case with in other states, a person in the state of Colorado needs to fill out several forms and submit them to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for consideration. All forms submitted must be original, not copies, and include signatures of all concerned parties if possible: the patient, caregiver, and physician.

In 2001, residents in Colorado approved Amendment 20, tasking the CDPHE with creating and managing the Medical Marijuana Registry program. The program has been strengthened over the years with other statutes and bills either passed or pending, including:

• 25-1.5-106 (Medical Marijuana Program, powers and duties of department)
• 18-18-406.3 (Medical use of marijuana by persons suffering from debilitating conditions)
• 0-4-287 – Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution (providing more clarity about patients, conditions, and medical use)
• Senate Bill 10-109
• House Bill 10-1284
• House Bill 11-1043

Qualifying Conditions

In order to receive a medical marijuana identification card and get medical marijuana in Colorado, a patient must meet certain medical requirements. According to the Colorado Constitution, the patient must suffer from one or more of the following “debilitating medical conditions:”

• Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or treatment for such conditions, or
• The “patient has a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces one or more of the following and which, in the physician’s professional opinion, may be alleviated by the medical use of marijuana:” Cachexia, persistent muscle spasms, seizures, severe nausea, and severe pain

But Not These

However, in order to get medical marijuana in Colorado, understand that not all medical conditions qualify. The following have been deemed insufficient to receive an identification card: Asthma, Atherosclerosis, Bi-polar Disease, Chron’s Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, types 1 & 2, Diabetic Retinopathy, Hepatitis C, Hypertension, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Opiod Dependence, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Severe Anxiety and Clinical Depression, and Tourette’s Syndrome.

Tips for Success

• Schedule an appointment with a doctor in good standing with the Colorado Medical Board.
• Renewal patients should submit their applications 45-60 days before their card expires.
• Only use the most current forms and applications available online.
• Fill out the forms completely, and use good penmanship.
• If you make a mistake, throw that form away and start with a fresh form or application.
• Forms should be signed and dated in the presence of a Notary, who in turn signs and dates the forms.
• Pay any required fees. Check with the CDPHE for details.
• Include all required IDs.
• Complete all required forms.
• Submit all forms in the same envelope.
• Submit all forms within 60 days of a doctor’s signature and within 10 days of a notary’s signature.

Finally, never assume that you can get medical marijuana in Colorado with little or no effort. Educate yourself, and ask questions if necessary.

Bakked Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats are one of the new medical marijuana products from BAKKED, a cannabis confectionary company from Colorado that has recently gained a license to run a medical marijuana business.

As a proud supporter of the medical marijuana movement, I was overjoyed at the new relaxation in the medical marijuana laws in Colorado, and I wanted to celebrate by devouring one of the state’s most lauded marijuana laced snacks. Bakked Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats have a heady reputation among medical marijuana users in Colorado, so I wanted to apply my own exacting standards against this medicinal treat.

Bakked make a ridiculously large selection of medical marijuana treats. From chocolates to lollypops to more savory treats like Wake and Bake Burritos. However it’s their Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats that are gaining such a great reputation around medical marijuana users all over the state of Colorado for their deliciousness and pain relieving properties, so I thought it wise that I review them first.

The first thing I noticed is that they look incredibly delicious even before I opened the package. They are absolutely densely packed with chocolate goodness, and I was looking forward to devouring them so much that I practically ripped open the package in anticipation.

The potency is definitely admirable, with 85mg of THC in each package. Hopefully they will turn out to have the epic pain relieving medical marijuana properties that such a high THC content promises.

I decided to start with half of the package, in order to gently ease myself into the medical marijuana effects. The chocolate wasn’t just delicious. It was also surprisingly rich. The crunch of the crispiness went very well with the soft, yielding chocolate. It truly was a delicious treat. While there was no strong smell of marijuana from the treat, there was a delicious taste of marijuana gently tingling on my tongue as I ate it. The taste really held no disappointments for me.

The medical marijuana effect was equally satisfying, with some truly profound pain relieving effects to go with the delicious crunch. Obviously when you buy a medical marijuana treat, the taste is really a secondary consideration to the great pain relieving qualities, and this treat really didn’t disappoint on any count. Make no mistake, the Bakked Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat is a potent pain reliever!

It seems like half the treat was good for around an hour and a half of blissful pain relief, and after it started to wear off I was more than ready to eat the other half. The medical marijuana pain relieving qualities continued for another two hours, and I slowly drifted into a wonderful reverie absolutely free of pain.

All in all, I think that the Bakked Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat is an undoubtedly an absolutely great medical marijuana treat, not only for pain relief but also for the delicious flavor.  The reputation is well deserved, and I would recommend it to any medical marijuana user who is also a fan of crunchy chocolate delights!

Guest Poster: COWeedMan

Colorado has recently relaxed their laws on medical marijuana significantly. By issuing state medical marijuana business licenses, they have effectively legalized medical marijuana entrepreneurialism, and opened the doors for many medical marijuana businesses to start operating without fear of federal action being taken against them.

Eleven licenses have been granted to medical marijuana businesses, including dispensaries and makers of medicinal marijuana products such as medicated brownies or chocolate bars. Seven other businesses have been told that they can expect to get a license before the year is out. There are another 467 medical marijuana related enterprises in the state, and they are beginning the first step towards approval, with state officials contacting local authorities to determine whether they object to cannabis related businesses operating in their area.

Medical marijuana is an incredibly contentious issue in Colorado, with many differing opinions between advocates and anti-medical marijuana activists. A petition by Colorado’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, a pro-marijuana pressure group, gathered 86,000 signatures on a legalize marijuana petition earlier this year.

Colorado’s moves towards decriminalization of the drug are in stark contrast to the stance being taken by California’s lawmakers. Once the most liberal state in the union towards medical marijuana, Californian authorities have taken the unprecedented step of telling medicinal dispensaries to stop selling marijuana within 45 days. Perhaps this is sign of the tide of the liberal view of medical marijuana turning towards the east.

Colorado officials are allowing decisions about dispensaries to be made at the local level. Not all localities are happy to allow medical marijuana to be sold in their neighborhood. Fort Collins, in Larimer County, already has a dispensary ban on the ballot, with the local Sheriff Justin Smith coming down hard on medical marijuana.  Fort Collins isn’t the only location where such a ban is being proposed. Many communities will be asked to decide whether they feel medical marijuana has a place in their back yard at the November 1^st elections.

Dan Hartman, the state’s Medical Marijuana Regulator, has already come under fire for appearing to encourage communities to vote against any ban at the local level. He has written an open letter explaining to communities that, due to the state’s constitution permitting patients obtaining medical marijuana from a registered caregiver, voting against regulated dispensaries in their neighborhood wouldn’t eradicate medical marijuana. Instead it would merely stop the State Medical Marijuana Enforcement division from ensuring that medical marijuana sales in their community are regulated, monitored, safe, secure and taxed.

Hartman came under a huge amount of pressure as a result of this letter, and state Attorney General John Suthers deemed the letter to be unethical. Stan Hilkey, Sheriff of Mesa County, said the letter was “highly inappropriate” and could appear to advocate against a ban.

Whatever way local communities choose to vote on the ban propositions that will be put before them on November 1^st, the law at the state level has been changed irrevocably. Colorado’s lawmakers have sent out a clear message of tolerance towards medical marijuana.

All of our information comes from, and will direct you to, that state’s specific governing body. We will not direct you to any 3rd party or otherwise externally collected information. We believe that putting patients in touch with information directly from their state is the safest way of helping people obtain medical marijuara. We’ve sorted through those sometimes laborious state run websites and will guide you to the right sections, forms, applications, applicable rules and laws, and anything else you need to get medical marijuana safely and legally.