LOCAL DOC READY FOR MARIJUANA PROGRAM

Local Doc Gearing Up For Medical Marijuana Registration

BRECKENRIDGE - Dr. Craig "PJ" Perrinjaquet recognizes that the
medical field can't cure everything - but he knows it can make life
easier.

That's why he's waiting patiently for the Colorado Legislature to put
in place the means by which people can register to legally smoke pot
to ease the pain that comes with certain diseases and injuries.

"I think it will be good," he said of the law voters approved in
November that will allow people to use marijuana to alleviate
symptoms of various illnesses. "It'll add one more way to help people
feel better."

He imagines a couple of dozen people will consult him and request he
register them at the state level. But it's not as easy as strolling
into your local clinic and asking for a prescription for pot, either.
PJ expects he will request a letter from a specialist - an oncologist
for cancer patients or a neurologist for those in chronic pain -
before endorsing a patient's registration.

"(For now) I tell them 'I can't recommend it, I can't prescribe it,
but in their place, I think your condition will benefit from medical
marijuana,'" he said. "A lot of people have been using it
clandestinely for years; they'd like to be able to use it without the
fear (of being arrested)."

The Patients

Fred Hopson is one of them.

The Park County man fell in 1996, fracturing his skull in 27 places.

"Flight for Life said he was going to die in the helicopter on the
way to the hospital," said Alison Palmer, a relative of Hopson's.
"Then they said he wouldn't make it through the night. Then they said
he'd never walk again. It's amazing what the brain can take. And it's
amazing how well it can come back."

Today, Hopson is alive and well, except for some memory loss - and
the excruciating, chronic headaches, for which he smokes marijuana to
alleviate the pain.

"It's a constant headache," Hopson said last year. "And marijuana
really, really does help."

Thus the pot in the cellar. And thus the drug bust.

Because the bust occurred before voters approved the medical
marijuana initiative in November, Hopson said the district attorney
believes his case will proceed under the old law. However, Hopson
hopes the charges will be dropped on other technicalities.

In the meantime, he suffers with his pain and waits for the law to go
into effect.

"I'm having some really tough times with these headaches; they've
been kind of bad lately," he said. "Maybe a little marijuana might
help it. It's (the initiative) something that's needed. Hopefully
(it) will really help me."

Hopson's court case has been postponed until May 7.

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years as both a fibrous crop
- - hemp - and for medical uses. It is known by many physicians to
alleviate side effects associated with cancer treatment, multiple
sclerosis, glaucoma, chronic pain and spasms.

"We can't cure everything," PJ said. "And this certainly is not a panacea."

Like narcotics, he said, the drug won't help everyone. There are
different levels of effectiveness, ranging from pain relief and
calming properties to paranoia, anxiety and confusion.

Since his bust Aug. 4, 2000, Hopson has been prescribed muscle
relaxants to alleviate his pain. He takes them as needed, but tries
to avoid them.

"I can't take those anymore; I don't like taking them," he said. "I'm
just dealing with it (the pain.)"

Colorado's Law

Medical marijuana is being debated in Denver, as the initiative
encompassed two issues - possession and distribution - and by state
law, it can only address one. PJ imagines state legislators will
outline the possession portion of the law.

"It's not talked about very much," he said. "People will have to be
on their own. Since the governor and legislature were so against it,
I don't know. They'll either think 'The people were behind it and we
have to do something,' or don't allow it."

Additionally, state officials are watching a case in California that
could affect how law here is written. If the court issues a narrow
decision regarding medical marijuana, it could outlaw clubs or
cooperatives where marijuana could be obtained. A wider
interpretation of the law could question the validity of Colorado's
initiative.

If the court decides against clubs or cooperatives, such as the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative in California, it could be the
people who, with good intentions, provide pot to patients who wind up
breaking the law.