REGULATION IS THE KEY TO PROVIDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

I do not want to be forced underground and into back alleys. I use
medical marijuana to keep my unbearable pain from my rheumatoid
arthritis under control safely.

Having access to safe, regulated and quality-controlled medical
marijuana has eliminated my need for addictive prescription drugs. It
allows me to function without pain or addiction.

I am only 19 years old with an extremely painful medical condition,
and at my age opiate pain medications are simply not an option for
me.

Were I to use opiate pain medications, I would inevitably become
dependent on them, which is simply not acceptable.

This is not the case with my medicinal marijuana; with it I can
safely treat my pain without the risk of death or addiction.

Attorney General John Suthers' plan is not workable. It does nothing
to guarantee quality standards. I do not want to buy medical
marijuana from sources that are unreliable, unprofessional and
inaccessible.

If his plan were enacted, I and hundreds of patients like me would be
forced to look to the black market for our medication, a measure that
is both unsafe and illegal.

We do not need to shut down dispensaries or limit the number of
patients they can have, we need to regulate them.

Regulation of dispensaries ensures safe access to quality-controlled
medical marijuana.

Sen. Chris Romer's bill is reasonable and responsible. It would give
patients like me access to treatment and create bright lines for law
enforcement with a trackable, auditable system.

Lindsey Greenwood, Greeley