MARIJUANA PROGRAM BEGINS TODAY

Voters OK'd Registry, But Owens And Salazar Toss Last-Minute Bomb

Colorado's medical marijuana program begins today amid threats from the
state's top honchos that doctors who recommend pot for their chronically
ill patients face federal prosecution.

Voters approved Amendment 20 calling for medical marijuana in November,
but Gov. Bill Owens and Attorney General Ken Salazar sent out warning
letters Thursday saying it is ludicrous for Colorado to participate in
the war on drugs while at the same time running a medical marijuana
program with questionable benefits for users.

Doctors differ on whether the letters Owens and Salzar fired off to the
Colorado Medical Society and the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado will
discourage physicians from joining in the program.

Dr. Frank Sargent said the letters will make it more difficult for
physicians, already leery of malpractice complaints.

But Dr. Chris Ott, an emergency room specialist at Denver Health Medical
Center, said doctors should not worry about saying patients might
benefit from using pot. They are not actually prescribing marijuana, he
said.

"From a physician's standpoint there is no risk," he said. "This is
simply a scare tactic."

Program backers said Owens and Salazar are blowing smoke.

The feds, they said, aren't going to arrest doctors for signing off on a
state form designed by state officials after voters last November
approved a state-run medical registry for marijuana patients.

"The important thing is that the program is still on track," said Julie
Roche, who helped put Amendment 20 on the ballot.

Amendment 20 allows chronically ill patients to legally possess up to
two ounces of pot and six marijuana plants if they have a letter from
their doctor and are approved for the state registry.

State officials have worked since Amendment 20's passage to gear up for
today's opening.

"We're ready," said Carol Garrett, registrar with the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment.

So far, the department has received eight applications; about 600 are
expected the first year, she said.

The applications must include a letter from a doctor, but whether
physicians will sign off is another matter.

Some doctors balked even before Owens and Salazar fired off their
letters Thursday.

Don Eisen, 44, who has multiple sclerosis, said the doctor who treats
him at the long-term health-care facility where he lives refused to sign
the form.

"He says he can't do it and he won't say why," the Denver resident said
this week. "I think he's worried about his license to practice
medicine."

His doctor did not return calls.

In their letter, Owens and Salazar urged Richard Spriggs, the acting
U.S. attorney in Colorado, to enforce federal marijuana laws, including
the ban on cultivation.

The letter to Dr. Richard Allen, president of the Colorado Medical
Society, warned of the "peril of potential federal prosecution."

But what law doctors would be breaking is unclear.

Drug Enforcement Administration agent Tom Ward, the No. 2 man in the
Denver office, said the office has asked headquarters for "some
guidance" on Amendment 20.

"We investigate doctors when we see them prescribing controlled
substances inappropriately," he said. "The key word here is 'prescribe.'
"

No prescriptions are involved in Colorado's medical marijuana program.
The doctor signs a form that includes a checklist of illnesses the
patient suffers from.

"It is my conclusion that the applicant might benefit from the medical
use of marijuana," the form states.

Owens and Salazar said the federal courts and Congress need to address
the issue.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled California's cannabis clubs were
illegal, but that did not affect the state law that set up the medical
marijuana program.

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