COLORADO, CALIFORNIA LEADING THE WAY IN POT-REFORM LAWS

Colorado has joined California to become one of only two states that
have a semblance of a medical-marijuana distribution system, the
executive director of National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws (NORML) said this week.

"But the difference is stark and profound," Allen St. Pierre said in
a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "We fought for the rights
in California, but the rise in Colorado was immediate."

Thirteen states allow the use of marijuana medicinally, but except
for Colorado and California, the others operate on what St. Pierre
called a "self-preservation system." Authorized users are on their
own to grow or buy their cannabis, he said.

Reform of marijuana laws is coming - slowly but inexorably, St.
Pierre said. He cited the Obama administration's decision to sic
federal agents on marijuana distributors only when they violate state
as well as federal law. The sale of marijuana for medical purposes
remains against federal law.

Two states, New Mexico and Rhode Island, have approved laws
sanctioning the sale of medical marijuana, St. Pierre said. These
winds of change could sweep California, Massachusetts and Texas into
following suit to regulate and tax the substance, he said.

"In past administrations, such action would have triggered a rocket
ride straight to the U.S. Supreme Court," St. Pierre said.

The change in official attitude mirrors public opinion, St. Pierre
said. Polls find 75 percent of people favor the use of marijuana for
medical purposes and, by almost the same margin, the
decriminalization of marijuana use.

The wide acceptance of cannabis by the public is reflected in the
Showtime television series "Weeds" - which just ended its fifth
season - that follows the adventures of a widowed California
housewife who is the neighborhood source for marijuana.

It's no wonder the show takes place in California - where 2.5 million
to 3 million people use marijuana medicinally, St. Pierre said.

The state has 1,400 to 1,800 marijuana dispensaries, including kiosks
in the Los Angeles Basin that operate 24 hours a day, he said.

Oregon has cashed in on marijuana, charging 24,000 to 26,000 medical
pot users $150 a year for an identification card, St. Pierre said.

[sidebar]

BY THE NUMBERS

The latest (July 31, 2009) Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment report on medical marijuana shows:

Since June 1, 2001, when it began operation, the Medical Marijuana
Registry has received 13,102 applications for identification cards to
buy or grow marijuana for medicinal use. Twenty-nine applications
were denied, 18 cards have been revoked, 1,751 cards have expired and
210 cardholders have died, leaving 11,094 holders of valid identification.

More than 800 physicians have signed certifications of need for applicants.

Seventy-three percent of applicants are men, and the average age of
all applicants is 41. Six card holders are minors (younger than 18).

Fifty-five percent of cardholders live in the Denver metro and Boulder areas.

In Southwest Colorado counties, there are 111 cardholders in La
Plata, 25 in Archuleta, 31 in Montezuma and eight in Dolores. San
Juan County is one of five in which there are fewer than three card holders.

Ninety percent of applicants say severe pain is one of the reasons
they need marijuana. Twenty-seven percent - the second-most cited
reason - said they have muscle spasms. Severe nausea - No. 3 - was
cited by 23 percent.

The health department has refused to add Parkinson's disease,
anxiety, asthma and bipolar disorder to the list of debilitating
illnesses that can qualify a patient to use marijuana.

Three identification-cardholders have been convicted of
marijuana-related offenses.