TWO COLORADANS GET MEDICAL-MARIJUANA CARDS

Two Coloradans got their medical-marijuana cards Friday, the first day
of a program that puts state and federal law in stark conflict.

The approved applicants were the first recipients of the cards, which
are part of a program voters approved in November with the passage of
Amendment 20.

The program allows chronically ill Coloradans who have their cards to
legally possess up to 2 ounces of pot or six marijuana plants.

"I think it went very well. I was pleased," said state registrar Carol
Garrett of the state Department of Public Health and Environment.

The agency oversees the medical marijuana registry.

Brooks Kelly, a 39-year-old scientist, was the first approved for the
registry.

"When you're dying of a terrible disease, the political threats pale by
comparison," Kelly said.

"I suffer from tumors that cause me an incredible amount of chronic
pain. And I have discovered that medical marijuana . . . makes the pain
manageable. I think that my life has been saved."

The state Friday received 25 calls for information and mailed 19
applications for the card, Garrett said.

In addition, four people visited the department in person. Two patients
delivered applications and two checked on the status of their
applications.

In all, Garrett said, the state has received 11 applications. It expects
at least 600 the first year based on what happened with Oregon's
medical-marijuana program.

Applicants must pay a $140 fee that covers the cost of the program and
provide a letter from their doctor certifying that their condition might
benefit from the medical use of marijuana.

Gov. Bill Owens and Attorney General Ken Salazar, who opposed Amendment
20, issued a joint statement Thursday that reluctantly recognized the
legality of the program.

But they warned that doctors and patients who participate face federal
prosecution -- a notion that brought a laugh from some attorneys.

"The feds don't go after small fries," said defense attorney Harvey
Steinberg.

"Court time is very limited and very valuable in federal court and I
can't imagine federal judges taking it well, their time being used
because a doctor recommended marijuana for a chronically ill patient."

The state's medical marijuana registry can be reached at (303) 692-2184.